The Hitchhiker 2: Born To Run
by TempestDash
Summary: Kim encourages her trucker friend to look at a life outside of trucking and ends up entangled in the life of a rich entrepreneur.  When Kim finds herself competing for the attention of her friend, she's forced to re-examine how close they really are.
1. She's The One

The Hitchhiker 2: Born to Run, by Adam Leigh

Based on characters and situations from Disney's Kim Possible**.**

*** KP – KP – KP ***

* * *

**1. She's The One**

_Entry 32_

_I haven't been writing in this recently. I'm just not as committed to it as Princess is. What am I going to say? 'Another day passed. We talked about stupid things, dropped off some boxes in Boise, laughed at other drivers, oh, and Kim still hasn't answered me.'_

_I guess that last one is the stinger, and is why I don't like putting word after word in this book. I asked her again, I think about three weeks ago, about her feelings towards me and she again did not respond. I don't know why she wouldn't simply say 'No' and get it over with. I've read her diaries once – a fact she still doesn't know about and I'd like to keep that way – and I know she's said many times she's straight, but I thought, well, given everything that's happened, just to be sure, I would ask her._

_That was months ago now. She refuses to answer me. It's the most aggravating thing in the world! I try not to think about it on most days, but sometimes, her hair catches the sun just right and makes a bloom that catches my breath. She's gorgeous. I'm obsessed with her. I have no idea how I became so pathetic. I should just give up on her and figure out how to be the best friend she's ever had, so at least I don't ever have to be apart from her._

_But why wouldn't she answer? Does she not know? Is she considering it? If I gave up and she changed her mind, would I go back on my decision?_

_Oh, who am I kidding, I would in a heartbeat._

_Pathetic._

*** KP – KP – KP ***

Shego started gearing down as they drove up to an exit on the highway passing through Colorado. She checked her mirrors and pulled the rig onto the off ramp down to the town road.

"What's up?" said Kim from the back of the cab. She was lying on her stomach on the bed, idly kicking her legs back and forth as she read a thick book. It was something Shego had bought for her a week or so ago while they were stopped at a rest area. There was a small rack of harlequin novels on a spinning shelf that Kim was looking through while Shego was buying sandwiches. At the last minute, Shego pulled a book out of Kim's hand and added it to the order.

"Stopping for gas again," said Shego as she turned onto the road. "We've been going for a while now."

Kim stretched and yawned, then closed the book. "Already? It seemed to go by so fast."

"That's because you've got your nose shoved into the spine of that book," said Shego. "Which you absolute will not spoil for me before I get a chance to read it."

Kim leapt gracefully over the back of the passenger chair and settled into it. "Seriously?" she said in disbelief. "It's a cheeky romance novel." She pointed at the two people on the cover. "This guy ends up with this girl. They have sex. There, that's the plot of the book."

Shego shook her head. "I get so few pleasures in this job, and you go and steal them from me."

"Oh, I know that's not true," Kim said teasingly.

Shego looked at her with a half smile and Kim gestured towards the back of the truck. In an ideal world, Shego thought, she'd be referencing the bed they alternated sleeping in, but here, in this frustrating world, she knew Kim meant the bike. Shego's beloved Kawasaki Triple.

"Speaking of which, I'm getting cabin fever here," said Shego. "We're going to need to take a detour to Indiana."

"Indiana?" asked Kim.

"Yeah. Excellent road racing in Indianapolis."

"I thought they were known for formula one races," said Kim.

"Yeah, for like, one event a year," said Shego. "What, did you think the speedway was empty the rest of the 364 days on the calendar?"

Kim shrugged. "I guess I never put any thought into it."

"You should," said Shego. She eyed Kim expectantly. "In fact, you _really_ should. I'd bet with your reflexes and balance you'd be an excellent racer."

"Really?" asked Kim. "You want me to get into superbike as well?"

"Well, why not? You need to do something," said Shego. "Reading my books and sending off e-mails to physicists every time we stop is hardly filling your day."

"I could use more to do," agreed Kim. She thought about it. "Nah."

"What? Why not?"

Kim turned in her seat to face Shego directly. "I really appreciate the offer, but I know that racing is not a cheap hobby. I don't even have a bike and registering me for races is not bound to be done on spare change."

"Princess, you _know_ I'll—"

"I do know that," Kim interrupted. "And that's part of the problem. I already feel guilty that you're essentially taking care of me. I'm not going to take up more of your money."

"Don't worry about that," Shego said. "I've got the money, Princess. I don't know what to spend it on. I have no debts, no home, no family, nobody else I care about. All I have is you, my baby girl, and my rig. I already shower affection onto the Triple, and the rig gets its share of my salary. Let me spend some on you without a guilt trip."

Kim shook her head. "It's not right," she said firmly. "I need to find a way to contribute or I'll never feel comfortable with this."

Shego pulled the rig into a trucker friendly gas station and put on the brake. "Well, you're not going to make any money through racing if you can't do it full time." She pulled out her folio of receipts and climbed out of the cab. Kim followed suit to continue the conversation. "Given where we go, I only see three possibilities for a career for you. One: creating some craft to sell when we hit cities."

"Blah," said Kim. "I'm not that good with my hands."

"Two: become a part time stripper."

"Right," said Kim. "I'd bet you'd love that. Also, see above."

"Hmmm," mused Shego for a moment. "And three: something on the internet."

"The internet?" said Kim.

"I assume you'll let me buy you a laptop, but you could look for a writing job or something to do with a website," said Shego as she opened the cap on her gas tank. "Something you could do from anywhere and while we're driving." She pulled out one of the nozzles and began filling the tank with diesel.

"What could I write about?" asked Kim, she was clearly intrigued but still confused. "I'm not really an expert on anything."

"Well, maybe you could make a blog or something," said Shego. "If you're entertaining enough you could make money off it. You certainly spend enough of your time writing in your diaries."

"Who would want to read my aimless thoughts every day?" asked Kim, with a raised eyebrow.

"You'd be surprised," said Shego. "The internet is a strange place." She paused for a moment. "Though maybe not. You probably don't want to attract more attention to yourself. I'm still worried about that Dr. Possible guy. He was a real psycho."

"So you've said," said Kim. "Repeatedly."

"The truth should be widely spread," said Shego. "Also, I don't want you to forget."

Kim smiled and shook her head. "I'm not going to forget, Shego."

"Good." Shego nodded once to herself. "So, what were we talking about?"

"You were trying to get me to be a stripper," said Kim, impishly.

"Oh, right, you should do that," said Shego. "Do you need a stripper name? I can help you out. How about Roxy Red? Candy Cub? Pumpkin doesn't really seem like a sexy stripper's name. And Carrot Top absolutely isn't."

Kim laughed. "I can't just use Princess?"

"No. That's _my_ name for you," said Shego. "Other people don't get to use it. They'll get it all _dirty_. Yuk."

Kim chuckled and then smiled warmly at Shego. The trucker blushed slightly in response and then quickly bit her tongue for feeling so girlish. "I have no idea what it is about you," she said, exasperated.

"What?" Kim asked. She looked startled.

"Nothing, nothing," Shego waved her off casually. "So, stripper's out, I suppose."

"Lets put it as an alternate option #100 and work on a primary #1," said Kim.

"Your loss," said Shego with a shrug, even though she knew it was entirely the opposite. "So that leaves the internet. Are you actually any good at writing?"

"I'm not bad," said Kim. "I certainly never had any trouble with English class that wasn't otherwise the result of suddenly up and leaving to fight a criminal."

Shego chuckled. "Well, that's certainly something. Maybe you can look around for any news sites that are looking for freelance writers."

"I'm not really all that connected to current events," said Kim.

"That doesn't matter," said Shego. "You'd probably be assigned stories and you'd just have to search around the internet and make phone calls or something." She looked up and away and was clearly searching her memories. "I was interviewed for a piece once... a racing mag. Guy had no idea who I was and thought I didn't notice him reciting parts of my published bio. Real idiot that guy was. If you can do better than him, you should be a shoe in."

Kim put a finger to her jaw and her smile grew larger. "Maybe you should be racing more," she said.

"I don't see how that helps," said Shego.

"I could be like a publicist or an agent for you," said Kim. "Deal with the 'real idiots' as you say."

"I'm not that big," said Shego, dismissively.

"But could you be?" asked Kim.

Shego shrugged. "I dunno, I suppose? I'm certainly more together than the stoners in the underground racing scene." She grimaced. "It's just a lot of work. Painfully boring work."

"Which I could do for you," said Kim. "I mean, honestly, I know you like the solitude of the drive – god knows why you decided to bring me on board given that—"

Shego could think of a few reasons.

"—But does it really make you happy? Aren't you more alive while racing?"

Shego looked at Kim, plainly. "I don't know. Maybe?"

"Shouldn't be a hard question," pointed out Kim.

"It is! It's one of those loaded career questions. I hate being asked about this stuff. Can't I just pick once and be done with it?"

"Sure," said Kim. "You don't have to change. You just have to tell me that you would be happier continuing to drive trucks around the country than racing full time."

"Princess, I _own_ my own rig," Shego said. "I can't just dump all this and throw it into some new whim."

"That's not what I'm asking," said Kim. "I'm not asking what easy, I'm asking what you love."

Shego stared. "I _love_..." she trailed off, staring at Kim. Kim's eyes went wide in return and she suddenly looked panicked, like she'd just realized she'd backed into a trap.

"Racing," Shego finished. "I mean, trucking is a job, it pays the bills, and I don't have to think about it. But my heart has always been in racing. But, Princess, I'm damn near thirty. I can't get into it now."

"You're still adding things that aren't part of this discussion," said Kim. "It's not about ease, it's about what you want. And if racing is what you want, and the only things holding you back are the burdens of your prior choices, well, then that gives me something to tackle."

"You can't fix my life," said Shego forcefully.

"I'm not trying to _fix_ it," said Kim. "I'm trying to enrich it."

Shego eyed her suspiciously. Sometimes she wondered if she had actually made the right choice three months ago, standing in that office at Caltech.

"No making any decisions for me," Shego waved a finger at Kim. "If you want to waste your time researching, be my guest, but don't you dare tell anyone you're representing me without my permission."

Kim smiled and held her hands up. "Of course, I wouldn't dream of it."

Shego looked at Kim's way-too-pleased-with-myself grin and felt uncomfortable in her stomach.

"Bah!" Shego spouted and then headed towards the convenience store.

*** KP – KP – KP ***

_This is really getting out of control. It's like I have no reign over her. I tell her things, she suddenly makes up her mind to do something else, and now I'M the one doing what SHE wants. It's not a healthy relationship, even for friends, I'm utterly beholden to her._

_What the hell happened to me? I never used to take crap from anyone._

_..._

_Okay, that's kind of a lie, and it's not like she's wrong. I mean, I do love racing, possibly more than anything else. I don't know if I love the 'sport' of racing, though. It's all bull these days, regulations and sponsors and restricted moves and advertising. Why can't professional racing be as simple as illegal street racing? We come to an agreed upon spot, line up quick enough that nobody can call the cops in time, and then launch ourselves into the circuit. If you make it back first, you win, and second place is the first loser. End of story._

_Couldn't sell very many commercials on a race like that I guess, which is really what irritates the hell out of me. Why are sports now obligated to bend to marking whims? It's a competition! The only things that matter are the rules that make it so nobody has an unfair advantage so it's all a matter of skill. You know, the sorts of things where my damn near godlike talent bring me an easy victory._

_I can't give up trucking, it's my life. My bread and butter, as the geezers say. Racing is just a hobby. If I had to do it to get a paycheck all these things that irritate me would become all I think about._

_There, see? Why can't I say THAT when the Princess throws these things at me? Instead of looking stupid and walking off as if I'm a four-year-old told she can only have ONE cookie?_

*** KP – KP – KP ***

"Okay," Kim said the second that her door was closed and they were pulling away from the rest area. "This is what I found out."

It was late at night now. They had just finished their stop for Shego's mandatory break to avoid violating trucking regulations even though she wouldn't need sleep for another twenty hours or so. Kim had strangely vanished during that time, leaving with her face glued to a pre-paid phone with data that Shego had picked up at the girl's behest. She's showed up magically at the time they needed to leave and had a smile on her face as large as the sky is wide.

"Jesus, Princess," said Shego. "Let me get her into gear first."

"You don't have to do anything but listen and then nod your head when I tell you to," said Kim, showing a toothy grin.

"God, this isn't going to go well," said Shego, prophetically.

"There are lots of MotoGP races going on, but the problem is that your bike is a 500cc two-stroke, which doesn't really compete anymore at that class," said Kim. "In fact, none of the Grand Prix classes include 500cc anymore, so you'll probably have to use a different bike if you don't want to be outclassed by larger engines."

"My baby girl isn't 500cc," said Shego, simply.

"It isn't?" asked Kim. She looked at her notes. "The 1973 Kawasaki Triple was—"

"I told you, you can't get power from stock," said Shego. "Besides, when I got her, she was essentially a frame with wheels, I replaced nearly everything." She squinted slightly and looked up and to the side. "And I think you're looking at the H1, my girl was originally the H2A which was 750cc. Still, none of the original stats apply."

"So what is she?" asked Kim.

"800cc displacement," said Shego. "Two-stroke still, but with my mods, she'll go toe to toe with her much bigger brothers." She smiled, then caught herself. "I mean, if I was thinking about pro racing, which I'm not. Besides, I doubt they'd let her in, there are strict rules on configuration in the MotoGP, as well as Superbike. It'd be considered cheating."

"Really?" asked Kim.

"Of course there are," said Shego. "What if I'd stuck in a nitro canister, or an active fuel coolant without telling anyone. I could easily be in a class by myself and those races are about skill, not mechanical genius."

"Oh," said Kim. She looked at her notes and then the phone. She appeared depressed.

"Come on," said Shego. "Did you think in a couple of hours you were going to learn all the details about professional racing? Don't get that way."

"I want to help you reach your dream!" pleased Kim.

"Don't be silly," said Shego, shaking her head. "I'm not miserable. I like my job, and I like my hobby. Why do I have swap them?"

"I just... I thought I could help," said Kim.

Shego sighed. She turned to Kim and spoke softly. "You are helping."

"How? By spending your money and reading your books?" asked Kim, curtly.

"By being here, okay?" said Shego. "I... I like the company. I like being with you. I like... you."

Kim looked at her with a sad expression. "I want to give you what you want, but I just... I don't think I can."

Shego tried not to feel hurt. "It's okay. You think you're the only straight girl I've ever fallen for?"

Kim looked at her lap and shook her head. "You'll tell me, right? If it's uncomfortable? I don't want to make you uncomfortable. I know what it's like not be able to have what you want and it can make you... bitter."

"You have experience there?" asked Shego, a little surprised.

Kim nodded. "I told you Ron was my boyfriend."

Shego did a full body shiver, but tried to hide it by shaking her head vigorously. "Don't remind me."

"Well, he wasn't by the time I... when I woke up," said Kim. She looked out the window. "We had different paths in life, and he couldn't tag along as my sidekick forever. I went to Paris for college mostly to put some distance between us."

"Different paths, huh?" said Shego. "He didn't like being second best?"

"Oh, no, not at all," said Kim. "I mean, at least he never told me if he did."

"So, what?" asked Shego.

"It's complicated," Kim said. "He was invaluable to me as a sidekick but never really put much of his time into other things, like his classes, or any hobbies. He was a pretty good running back, but, well, that limited his options for college."

"When it came time for applications," said Kim. "I think he kind of figured it out and had applied almost everywhere in the world to maximize his options for following me. But... well, it was too little, too late to start putting in effort."

"So what were you studying in Paris?" asked Shego.

"Me? International law. Not really something Ron could work up the prerequisites for." Kim awkwardly gestured with her hands. "It didn't matter, though. Fighting evil with me was one thing, but Ron wasn't really prepared to give up his entire life to criminal justice like I was. He wanted to pursue other things, like video game design, and media management."

"Media management?" asked Shego. "Is that like... organizing your DVDs or something?"

Kim made a partial smile. "Its things like being a manager for a movie star or a producer for a TV series."

"Ah," said Shego. "Sort of like what you just proposed to me."

"Er..." Kim stammered.

"So, where did he end up?" Shego asked.

"Colorado Tech," said Kim. "Not too far from Middleton, so he could commute if he needed to. He still helped me when there was a mission, but from what he told me ... well, I think he found his groove there." She shrugged. "Who knows now."

"So he ended it?" asked Shego.

Kim nodded. "So I left." Her shoulders slumped. "I know it's not very heroic. But I didn't really like the reminder. We tried to go back to being friends, but..."

Shego looked at the expression on her companion and felt the clench in her heart. She reached out and took her hand. "I want you around," she said. "It's not uncomfortable at all."

Kim half-smiled.

*** KP – KP – KP ***

_I'm a liar._

_How has this happened to me? I'm Sharon Hedge! The Green Streak! I make chump crotch-rocket racers quiver in their boots. I haul longer and faster than anyone in the US. I am unstoppable._

_And I'm so desperately in love with this crazy girl that I can't breathe._

_The only thought that scares me more than this is the idea that she might leave if I told her._

_She can never know. NEVER. I shouldn't even be writing about this. I need to burn this book when I'm done._

*** End One

A/N: I hope everyone who liked TheHitchhiker has found this. I wish there was a mechanism for associating stories in FFNet so that sequels could be linked together and send notifications when a sequel is posted. I certainly would love it and I'm sure others would as well. Why hasn't such a simple concept hasn't been developed.

Anyway, this is the next installment in my (increasingly inaccurately named) The Hitchhiker series. This is set a few months after the end of The Hitchhiker, and follows Kim and Shego's adventures. I know some of you were expecting to see Kim and Shego on the run from the law, but that's not the direction we're going here. While Dr. Possible may be trying to alert the authorities, he never heard Shego's real name, nor the full name that Kim was going under, and even if he got a look at Shego's bike, it's typically hidden in her truck and not in plain sight. Ultimately, what I'm saying here is that Dr. Possible simply doesn't have enough information to get the police moving to track down Shego so he's not currently being treated as a credible threat.

Next we have some new characters joining us that will be recurring throughout this story. They're from another series that I turn to when I need characters. Though I've suitable altered them to fit the Hitchhiker universe.

Thanks for reading!


	2. Meeting Across The River

**2. Meeting Across the River**

_Entry 39_

_The Princess is in a right old fit this morning. I'm not sure what she was expecting an illegal street race to be like, maybe she anticipated more movie lighting or camera crews, but she worked herself into a tizzy over my wipeout last night during the third race. Did she not realize that falling off one's bike was a natural risk when racing? I thought she remembered all sorts of extreme sports in her hero life. Surely some of that must rank higher in danger than speeding around city streets at night._

_Anyway, I messed up my knee something good and need to take a break a bit. The Princess wanted to go the hospital but I managed to convince her it was a waste of time and money. I can move my leg, the knee is bloody looking but functional. Some antiseptic and a bandage and I'll be fine in a few days. We'll just have to do some non-stop driving to make up the time. No big deal. It's not like I haven't done that before._

_Oh, she got upset about it having happened in the past too. Unbelievable! Of course I've been hurt before. Clearly it didn't make much difference. I healed, and I got back up on my bike._

_At least I know a mechanic in the area to take a look at my bike. I'm pretty smart when it comes to engines and mods, but knocking the kinks out of some of the panels requires access to a shop that I don't have packed underneath my trailer._

*** KP – KP – KP ***

"Hhrrng," mused the old man with wild white hair as he paced around Shego's bike. The man looked like a midget Einstein. Less than five feet tall, fully gray hair and moustache, and dressed in a dirty shop coat on top of a plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up over the coat and jeans.

Shego and Kim were standing nearby as the man paced about in his small gas station repair shop. A few other cars were on lifts in the garage; older vehicles, probably fifteen to twenty years old at least. Shego was leaning on a crutch to keep weight off her bandaged knee and Kim was standing close enough to reflexively catch the injured woman if she were to suddenly fall.

"What's the verdict, Pops?" asked Shego after waiting through at least ten minutes of grunts and curious grumbles.

"Don't call me that!" said Dr. Nigel Raven, finally voicing a complete sentence. "Call me Doctor! Now, tell me: what did you hit?"

"Nothing," said Shego defensively. "I just rolled her a bit around a corner… and into a park bench."

"So you hit a park bench?"

"I said I rolled her _into_ a park bench," Shego insisted.

"Did the bike come in contact with the bench at any point?"

"Yes," said Shego.

"Then you _hit_ a _park bench!_"

"Well, not intentionally!"

"I didn't ask you _why_ you hit it, I asked you what you hit!" complained Raven.

"What the hell does it matter?" said Shego. "Can you fix it or not?"

"Of _course_ I can fix it," Raven said waving his hand dismissively. "If you brought me back part of a tire and a photograph of your bike I could rebuild it."

"Then what's the problem, Pops?" asked Shego, putting her free hand on her hip.

Raven eyed her suspiciously. "How many times have I fixed this bike for you?"

Shego shrugged. "I don't know. Less than a dozen, I'd guess."

Kim stared at Shego with a stunned expression.

"Over, like, eight years!" she said to Kim. "I don't crash that often, I'm not that bad. I just have to deal with crummy streets all the time that aren't being taken care of."

"How many times have you looked like that?" asked Raven, pointing at Shego's knee.

"Hell, I don't know," Shego said. She rolled her eyes. "I've never been seriously hurt, just scuffed a bruised. I've only needed crutches a couple times. Now, and about eighteen months ago."

"And never before that," stated Raven.

"Well, no, not really. Just bad luck, recently."

"Or you're getting older," said Raven.

"Oh, don't you dare, Pops! I'm, like, half your age!"

"You WERE half my age," said Raven. "You're catching up."

"I can't 'catch up' to you in age, that's impossible," said Shego.

"You can't get numerically closer to my age, but proportionally you can get closer. You were… what? Nineteen when we first met? Now you're twenty seven? I was forty five then, now I'm fifty two. Ergo, you are now more than half my age."

Shego pinched the bridge of her nose and groaned. "Don't tell me this crap, Doc. I'm not old."

Raven smirked at getting the upper hand. "But you are getting hurt easier."

"Yeah, so what?"

Raven looked down at Shego's leg again. "I'm worried about you, Sharon. You keep pushing the power on this thing and you keep riding on terrible roads. You're gonna get yourself killed."

"_Don't_ call her a 'thing,'" snapped Shego. "And my girl and I are gonna be fine. If not, hey, it's our life."

"Uhh," started Kim.

"I'm just saying," said Raven. "Maybe it's time to start toning it down a bit. Or find better tracks to race on."

"I don't race on tracks, I race on streets," said Shego pointedly. "I don't pick 'em, I just go where the action is."

"Maybe you ought to make the action come to you, then," said Raven.

"How the hell am I supposed to do that? Have you lost your mind?"

Raven pulled a card out of his coat pocket and held it out towards Shego. The latter stared at it. "What's that?"

"You remember Katsuhito?" said Raven.

Shego bobbed her head from side to side once. "Yeah, kinda? He was the hotshot engineer from California who ran that moneybags engineering think tank. Didn't he die?"

Raven nodded solemnly. "He did. And he didn't _run_ the Stingray Foundation so much as found it." He waved the card in front of Shego. "His daughter has now inherited it."

"I didn't know he had a daughter," said Shego. "Or that he was married."

"Widowed, but that's neither here nor there," said Raven. "His daughter has taken the foundation in another direction, but she's interested in forming a new national racing league with amateur talent."

Shego narrowed her eyes at the card and gently took it from the old man's hand. The card was simple, white fiber paper, with the words SYLIA STINGRAY heavily embossed in sans-serif typeface across the front and, in smaller letters, 'The Stingray Foundation' and a phone number listed across the bottom.

"Sylia?" said Shego. "Odd spelling."

"She's a bit of a firecracker, like you," said Raven. "But I think you're the sort of racer she's looking for. And you could get off the unpaved roads and onto formal tracks."

"Geeze, what is it lately with people asking me to change my job?" asked Shego.

"I thought you wanted to race more," said Raven.

Shego looked at him then turned her gaze at Kim. The girl looked confused. "You two didn't talk before we came in here today, did you?"

"I don't even know who this is beyond her name," said Raven, gesturing to Kim.

"I didn't even know we were coming here," said Kim. She sounded honest to Shego's ears, but you couldn't ever be sure with the girl.

"I like my job!" said Shego, emphatically.

"So you want to keep doing it, then?" said Raven.

"Yes, that's what I've been trying to say!"

"Then stop _racing_," said Raven. Shego flinched in surprise, but the doctor continued. "You see this here?" The man moved closer to the bike and pointed at an angular impression on a beam along the side of the bike just below the seat. "Do you know how much force it takes to bend that? That's not a piece of the paneling, that's a super strut I put in there to keep your bike from coiling up into a snake when you lay into the turbo. It's made of carbon-fibre."

Raven pointed back at Shego's knee. "If your leg was ON the bike when it hit that park bench, there wouldn't have been enough left of your knee to rebuild. You'd be lucky not to get it amputated."

Shego blinked. "W-well, it wasn't there. I know when to bail."

Raven looked at her. "Do you?" He motioned silently to the bike behind him.

Shego frowned at Raven and looked to Kim who was giving her an equally expectant stare. She turned from her as well and looked at the card in her hand. "I don't see how this is supposed to be any better. Accidents happen in professional racing too."

"With paramedics on standby," said Kim.

"And while wearing appropriate protective gear," said Raven.

Shego stared at the card, looking for it to supply her with a new argument. "There's no telling if this girl is going to want me, and just to try out I'm probably going to have to fly to—"

"Wisconsin," said Raven.

"What?" asked Shego.

"She's holding some prelims at Elkhart Lake in a week or so."

Shego frowned.

"That's on our path, isn't it?" asked Kim.

"Sort of," said Shego, quietly. "Though since I gotta sit out for this to heal, who knows how much time we'll have to hang around."

"What do you lose by trying?" asked Raven. "You can always turn it down. But at least you'd have the option."

Shego sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. "I don't know," she said. She looked at Raven tiredly. "I'll _think_ about it."

Kim smiled for some reason and Shego didn't want to imagine why.

"In the mean time, fix my damn bike!" she shouted and then turned to limp out of the garage.

Kim hesitated for a moment, then silently mouthed something to Raven with a bow, and followed Shego out.

*** KP – KP – KP ***

_I've never been so ambushed in my whole damn life._

_God, am I going to have people meddling in my life constantly now? I don't recall asking anyone to help me lose my job and yet, here we are, with two busybodies trying to make decisions for me._

_I know I've said that Princess is right in the past. She is, to a degree, I would like to race more. But it's not a viable career unless you end up being one of the best and get advertisers interested in you. Not that I don't think I'd be one of the best, because, well, you know, I'm me. But then I'd have to deal with advertisers and I loathe them._

_I don't want to cart around with giant logos on my back just to make some stupid soda pop executive happy._

_..._

_Okay, I know that I already do that. I mean, I've shipped soda across the west coast before and, yes, I had to have a big old billboard on the side of my trailer to do it. But, that's different. It wasn't on ME. And I didn't have to deal with it. Someone at the company took care of it for me._

_I wonder if the Princess has ever considered that being my 'manager' would involve dealing with those jerk executives. I should ask her. Probably put her right in her place._

*** KP – KP – KP ***

"Yeah, of course I know about that," said Kim simply as they walked through the corridors of Road America, the raceway in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. "I mean, that's where the big money is when you're in any league. So, yeah, I would expect to have to deal with advertisers."

"Y-you..." Shego trailed of as they worked. "But it's all so slimy."

"They're just people, Shego," said Kim. "They personify their jobs in most people's minds, perhaps, but they're still people. Do you think people imagine you correctly when they think of truckers?"

"It's not the same," grumbled Shego.

Kim laughed lightly and adjusted her blouse as they walked. For some reason, she had insisted they look a little better than normal when coming to meet Ms. Stingray. That forced them to stop at a department store on the way over and pick up some cheap, but newer looking clothing. Kim was wearing a loose beige top with a burgundy coat and a matching long skirt and heels. Shego, unwilling to step too far outside her comfort zone, was wearing a polo shirt with a nicer pair of khaki pants and boots.

"So, remember, both Sylia and her account manager, Linna Yamazaki, will be there. Linna will be the Asian one with shoulder length black hair, pale skin, and green eyes. She's about your height, too, maybe a little shorter. I wasn't able to find any recent pictures of Sylia on the internet, but she's got black hair and brown eyes and is taller than Linna. She's of Ukrainian descent but her father was part Japanese."

"Yeah, I got that from the name," said Shego. "I still don't get why we're doing this. All they should need to see are my times on whatever track they've got set up."

"They'll want to see those too," said Kim. "But because you were referenced by Raven, they wanted to meet. I think Sylia also likes to meet people who knew her father."

"I barely knew the guy," said Shego, honestly. "He worked with Raven on some engine aspiration mods I commissioned in college. We talked a bit, but I never even knew he had a family."

"It's the thought that counts, I imagine," said Kim. "There are probably plenty of people at the foundation who knew him better than you could ever have."

Shego grumbled again, making a fist with one hand. "I hate putting on airs. Hate hate hate."

"You'll be fine, and maybe you'll get a job offer out of this," smiled Kim.

"And if not, I don't want to hear about this crap from you ever again," Shego said.

Kim shrugged. "Eh, maybe."

"Damn it, Princess!"

"Here we are!" Kim announced and reached for the door to the offices.

Beyond the doors was a long and sparsely decorated office. Hardwood floors ran lengthwise down the room leading up to a simple brown rug upon which sat an enormous glass desk with two chairs in front of it and one behind it. Behind the desk, beyond the chair, were floor to ceiling windows that looked out over the stadium and the raceway below.

Sitting in one of the chairs in front was a dark haired woman in a navy suit and tie with a white shirt beneath. Her shoulder length hair was being held back by a metallic green hair band and she wore minimal makeup. Kim presumed this was Linna Yamazaki.

Behind the desk was sitting a woman that seemed crafted from stone and Shego was almost stunned to see her raise a curious eyebrow once they came into view. Even leaning her head on her hand against the arm of the chair she was in she still looked as if crafted by Pygmalion himself. She had short dark hair and brown eyes and was wearing a pinstripe suit with a silvery blouse. If Shego didn't know better, she would have guessed this girl had just stepped out of the 1920s given her style and demeanor.

"Ms. Hedge," said Linna as she stood.

"Yeah, that's me," said Shego. She was deliberately trying to remain casual before the intimidating figure behind the desk. "But just call me Shego."

"Shego," repeated Linna. "Very well. I'm Linna Yamazaki, Ms. Stingray's accounts manager."

"This is Kim," said Shego, motioning to the redhead beside her.

"If you two don't mind, I have a couple forms I need you to sign before we proceed," said Linna. She produced a black envelope and a fountain pen and placed them on the desk. "Please review and sign on the last page." She stepped aside to let Shego and Kim approach.

Shego looked at the Linna girl skeptically. "What's this about?" she asked. Kim stepped around her and picked up the envelope. She paged through the packets contained therein.

"It's a non-disclosure agreement," said Linna. "Ms. Stingray deals in many proprietary technologies and confidential deals. This legal document is to protect the Stingray Foundation in the event you attempt to profit from anything you hear today."

Shego rolled her eyes. "That's not very likely."

"It's standard procedure."

Shego grimaced. "What do you think, Princess?"

"Looks good," she nodded. "Dad dealt with these all the time, I've seen a few before. There's nothing odd in here I've noticed." She scribbled her name on one of the sheets and handed the envelope to Shego. "I'm no expert, though."

With a shrug, Shego signed off on the agreement and threw it onto Sylia's desk. "Whatever."

Linna gracefully slipped the folder off the desk and swept it up under her arm. "If you'll excuse me." She headed back the way Kim and Shego came, closing the door behind her.

"So what was that all about?" asked Shego.

Sylia leaned back into her chair. "It's exactly what Linna said it was: a precaution. Everyone who talks to me signs one. I have a lot of people looking at me these days."

Shego was about to say she could understand why, but bit her lip at the last minute.

"Hmm," mused Sylia as she studied Shego intently.

"What?"

The corners of Sylia's mouth curled up slightly. "So, Shego, tell me about yourself." She motioned towards the two seats on the other side of the desk. Kim and Shego walked up and sat down wordlessly.

"Eh, what's there to say? I drive trucks for private shipping during the day and crush the competition on the indie drag circuit at night." Shego shrugged.

"You crash often?" asked Sylia.

"No," said Shego.

"So that limp you have there, that's abnormal."

Shego stared at Sylia indignantly.

"I like to know about my racers," continued Sylia. "This isn't just racing to me, it's PR."

"PR?" asked Kim, desperate to be part of the conversation.

"Yes," nodded Sylia. She turned her chair to the side and stared at the ceiling as she spoke. "The Stingray Foundation has long been a think tank for mechanical engineers where its members have openly collaborated on many public initiatives. Thanks to a series of rather unfortunate scandals after my father's passing, we've evolved into a clearinghouse of sorts to help companies exchange intellectual property in a safe and controlled manner. This change has not been as warmly embraced as I had hoped it would be."

"They saw it as betraying your father's legacy," said Kim.

"Quite astute of you," said Sylia coldly. "Many fail to understand that the Foundation could not continue in the manner it was originally established. It was financially unfeasible without my father's genius injecting money into it with new patents and grants." She smiled slightly. "The Foundation was my father's dream, and he ignored the impossibility of it continuing on in his absence. So I made changes which have leveraged the Foundations powerful brand to create a profitable private company. One, I might add, that still encourages the collaboration between our best and brightest."

"That's quite a sales pitch," said Shego. The pointed past the desk and towards the windows. "Where does all this fit into that?"

"Sorry, I digressed a bit," said Sylia. "I have, over the last year or so, invested in a number of independent motorcycle manufacturers which I intend to merge into a new partnership as an offshoot of the Stingray Foundation. I had planned to pay to have a number of our products featured at this year's AMA Superbike Championship events, but was… uncharitably denied." The woman's stoic face looked to be on the verge of a scowl but it quickly vanished.

"I am therefore creating my own league," she continued, leaning forward, resting her elbows on the desk and cradling her chin in her hands. "Advertising is easily purchased, but I'm looking for some exceptional talent to ride our bikes through the series." She raised her brow. "Raven says you are perhaps one of the best he's ever seen. He had very flattering things to say about you. Some of which appear to be true."

'You want me to be a billboard for your startup championship?" said Shego, sparing no ire.

"_IF_ you are as good as he says," said Sylia. "I want you to represent the Foundation by riding our bikes and – in competition only – wearing our branding. There are other initiatives I have planned that I might want your input on as well, depending on your talents. Apart from that, what you do on your own time is your business."

"Damn right it is," said Shego.

"Shego," Kim said urgently.

"It's all right," waved Sylia. "You have nothing to agree to now. Just go downstairs and show us your best times."

Shego frowned and stood up to leave. Kim jumped up quickly to match and nodded towards Sylia. "Thank you, Ms. Stingray," said Kim.

Sylia just nodded. "Please tell Ms. Yamazaki to come in when you leave."

Kim hesitated for a second and then went to follow Shego, who was already halfway across the room.

When Shego had her hand on the doorknob to leave Sylia spoke up again. "Ms. Hedge." Shego half-turned. "Sorry, Shego, I believe you said. Raven said you knew my father."

Shego nodded. "Yeah, a little bit. He helped me with some mods to my bike a year or so before he died."

"I would love to get a chance to talk to you about him," said Sylia. "Perhaps tonight after the preliminaries conclude."

Shego's brow furrowed. "Uh, yeah, I'll think about it." Without waiting for a response, she slipped between the doors and Kim followed.

Sylia sat in the silence with her fingers steepled on the desk before Linna returned and closed the door behind her.

"I like her," said Sylia, maintaining her stoic expression.

"Of course you do," said Linna, rolling her eyes. She walked back over the desk and then leapt over the back of one of the chairs to land on the cushion. "She's brusque, ignorant of etiquette, rebellious to authority, and has a statuesque figure. I swear you have a masochistic streak in you a mile wide."

"I have no idea what you are talking about," said Sylia. She picked up a random folder off her desk and looked through it.

"You don't? Let's review your recent choices, shall we?" Linna held up her hand. "Your lead racer, Ms. Asagiri, threatened you with a knife less than twenty minutes after you met her."

"She came around," said Sylia.

"Ms. Romanova," Linna ticked off another finger. "Not only can't ride a bike, but is _eighteen_."

"I couldn't let a genius like her go to waste hacking library computers," said Syila. "I'll find a place for her somewhere, even if it's in some sort of exhibition."

"And let's not forget me," Linna pointed at herself. "I love you like a sister, Syl, I always have, but I'm trained in professional dance. Why have you got me in an accountant's role?"

"You've done an excellent job so far," said Sylia. "And an Account Manager has nothing to do with accounting."

Linna rolled her eyes. "I know, I'm just saying… you could pick more qualified people."

Sylia smiled. "But then it would be no fun."

"Ugh!" Linna threw her hands up in the air and collapsed into her chair.

*** End Part Two

A/N: And so, we have two new principal characters introduced. Yes, I've imported them from another series, and yes it's a series I've used before. I've been a fan of Bubblegum Crisis for a long time now, but I don't tend to write very much in their universe. I imported Mason and Quincy into two of my other stories, but had avoided the Knight Sabers directly for various reasons. I figure as long as I'm creating an alt-universe, why not finally indulge?

Also, I am slowly expanding the bounds of this series' narrative limits here, where I lingered behind in a scene that didn't have Kim or Shego in it anymore. I had previously restricted the narrative to limited 3rd person tied to one or the other, but I plan on moving the boundaries a bit here to include Sylia. Not entirely, but I have a plan for Sylia and I'll need to delve a bit more into her head to make it work.


	3. Backstreets

**3. Backstreets**

_Entry ... whatever. Add one to the previous page._

_Sylia Stingray. What a character. I have little to no patience for corporate types but she broke the mold in many ways. She was strangely restrained but defiant, like her cool demeanor was hiding fires burning hotter than the sun. She was a jerk, I admit, but not terribly different in the way that I'm a jerk most of the time._

_She liked to make decisions, it seemed. She was essentially dictating what I was going to do and that really pissed me off. I don't care if she's some sort of business powerhouse, I don't like people acting like my decisions are predetermined. If I want to race for her little league, it'll be because I decide the perks and publicity are good._

_I can't really comment on either at this point. This whole affair screams of 'whims of the rich' and that's another thing that pisses me off about her. She didn't like that there were a few people she couldn't buy out so she went and made her own fort where she gets to make the rules? What a baby! And all this just to pimp out her brand? I've heard of worse reasons to start a business, but that's certainly up there._

_I don't want to disappoint the Princess, but unless there's some really stellar paycheck associated with playing by Stingray's rules, I'm not inclined to take up this offer. Maybe she'll reveal something less childish when I meet with her after the races today, but I doubt it. This is going to be a fight and a half with the Princess, I'm sure, but I'm not giving up my rig for just anything._

*** KP – KP – KP ***

Kim was struck with an odd thought as Shego was pulling on the arm and knee pads the Stingray Foundation provided for her prelims at the speedway. The thought arose out of nowhere and made camp in the back of her brain, where it was completely unexpected and unwelcome.

The thought went as this: I want to run my hands along Shego's sides.

Kim wasn't sure what to think of this, and had actually stopped herself in mid stride on her way to fulfill the thought when she realized what she was doing. She awkwardly made herself sit down and look at Shego to figure out the origin of this urge.

It was something about the way she was dressed, Kim concluded after some intense staring. Her leather outfit was almost made perfectly for her, hugging her form from head to toe, with just a little gap where the jacket met the pants revealing the green top beneath. Bent slightly over to pull up her kneepads, the folds in the leather jacket made a series of lines that drew Kim's eyes towards the sides of Shego's body, and that's where the urge was centered. Kim wanted to feel the way the leather hugged the racer's form and smell that musk that leather gets from tanning.

Kim felt her cheeks flushed and she embarrassingly turned sharply around to take her eyes away from the sight. She could not figure out why she had suddenly felt that way but she desperately wanted it to stop. It was weird.

It would be one thing if she was feeling it about Shego specifically, Kim didn't figure herself as gay but was not ignorant of the various sexual whims a person could occasionally have. But it wasn't about Shego. The feeling was about the _leather_ and the way it wrapped tightly around a slim body that—

"Hey, Princess, you okay?"

Kim turned towards the voice suddenly and was face to face with those leather covered abs. She swallowed nervously and looked up to see Shego peering down at her with a perplexed expression.

"Oooh, boy," Kim said quietly.

"What?"

"Nothing," Kim said, shaking her head. "Sorry, I just ... wandered off a bit there. My mind did, I mean." She cleared her throat awkwardly. "Are you all set?"

Shego nodded and displayed her protective gear. "Yeah, just waiting for my turn." She flexed her arms and legs experimentally, causing the leather to make that _delicious_ creaking noise. "This stuff really cramps my style. It's not like I'm going to wipe out with no competition to get in my way."

"It's important to be safe," said Kim quickly. "You'll have to use it in competition anyway."

"IF I decide to do this," said Shego. "And if they decide they like me."

Kim grinned. "I have a feeling that Ms. Stingray likes you regardless of your times."

Shego snorted. "Yeah, right. Little miss 'Big Company' is just dying to surround herself with people who knew her Pop for all of fifteen minutes."

"She did essentially ask you on a date," said Kim.

"_What._" Shego said flatly.

"Y-you didn't realize?" asked Kim. "She asked you to join her _tonight_ to talk about something you have barely five minutes of conversation to offer on."

"I—I didn't—" Shego started, but it was clear from the blank expression on her face that her mind had checked out.

"Aw, how cute," said Kim. "Is this your first time?"

"Shut it," Shego said, uneasily. "Do you really think—no, that's absurd. We met for five minutes this morning, why would she ask me on a date after so little... no. No, absolutely not. You're wrong."

Kim shrugged. "Maybe. Why don't we see if her invitation extended to me, then?"

"I'm sure it did, I mean, I didn't even really explain why you were there," said Shego. She paused. "I probably should have."

"She barely acknowledged Ms. Yamazaki as well, she could very well have seen me as your assistant."

"An assistant to a trucker turned racer?" asked Shego, raising an eyebrow.

"There is any number of reasons I was in there with you, and Ms. Stingray didn't strike me as the sort who bothered postulating when there was something she wants."

"Yeah, I kinda got that too," muttered Shego.

"I'll give her a call, if you'd like," said Kim. "In my capacity as your manager, of course, and see what she says. I won't give anything away, just sort of imply it and see if she bites."

"You'd be better off just shutting her down," said Shego. "I don't need this hassle."

"That might affect whether you get picked for her branded racers," said Kim.

Shego shivered. "Ugh, that title does not fill me with excitement. I don't want to be a branded anything. Maybe it's better we just walk away."

"No way!" said Kim, with more energy than she had anticipated. "This is a great opportunity! You could do what you want to do possibly in a very high profile way. She might be amicable to negotiation, anyway, and let you dress in your..." she trailed off for a second and then suddenly snapped back. "Leathers."

"I don't know if anything is worth putting up with Miss Big Company's constant attention," said Shego.

"You're just looking for a reason for this not to work," accused Kim.

"And you're looking for something to DO with all your time," said Shego. "This is about someone having fun, and it's starting to look like it's going to be you, not me."

Kim pouted. "That's not fair. I'm trying to help you."

"Well, then do what I ask instead of telling me what I want!" said Shego.

Kim flinched at the outburst and looked away slowly. She sighed. "You're right." Her head hung. "I'll call it off."

Shego winced slightly at Kim's visible defeat and felt guilty. "No, I-I'll do it. I'll call her."

"—SHARON HEDGE, PLEASE REPORT TO THE STARTING LINE. SHARON HEDGE—"

Kim and Shego looked up at the announcement. They shared a glance between one another and Shego grunted.

"After I submit my times," she said. "No sense getting in this getup and _not_ racing, after all." She turned on her heel and headed out of the garage and towards the starting line. Kim watched her go quietly.

*** KP – KP – KP ***

_**PERSONNEL FILE**__: Hedge, Sharon J. "Shego"_

_**SEX**__: Female_

_**AGE**__: 27_

_**PERFORMANCE**__: Preliminary ranking – 2__nd__ Amongst All Applicants._

_**NOTES**__: _

_Posted times were better than expected, even P. Asagiri expressed surprise. Personality is abrasive, strong willed, and self-interested, but can possibly be curbed into submission with proper application of vocal force as hinted at during initial interview. She is possibly more controllable than P. Asagiri, but further examination will be required._

_She is clearly accustomed to the more chaotic nature of illegal street racing, and displayed weakness keeping her concentration on long stretches of the course. P. Asagiri suggested this could be trained out of her in short order, but declined to be the one to train. May take up the job myself, depending on how receptive she is to direction._

_Appearance is clean, athletic, and attractive (features corroborated by N. Romanova and L. Yamazaki ). Very suitable to advertising displays, assuming careful control of her statements is enacted._

_**[ADDENDUM VIEW=UPDATE]**__ She attempted to back out of a social engagement with me over the phone but overwhelming her with unfamiliar procedure and an expectation of compliance in strong verbal tones was enough to confuse her and establish temporary dominance. Earlier beliefs regarding her controllability are proving accurate, but maintaining control beyond the length of a phone call will require considerable more knowledge about her personality and history. Will attempt to obtain this information at tonight's social engagement. [__**ADDENDUM**__]_

_**[ADDENDUM VIEW=**__**CONFIDENTIAL**__** LIMIT-TO=" Only"]**__ I am unsure of the relationship between Shego and her hanger-on Kim Possible. They appear to be close but not exceptionally close, possibly a friend in the trucking business. Attempted to do research on but results unfruitful. She maintains no online presence at all, no apparent e-mail, no social networking, no noteworthy web presence. Twenty-three 'Kimberly Possible' identities found online, none matching description and vocation. Further research is required to determine if she will be an obstacle or not. Very curious as to how K. Possible became an electronic ghost.__**[/ADDENDUM]**_

*** KP – KP – KP ***

"Dress me."

Kim was sitting on the ground near where the rig was parked and reading a book when Shego walked up to her looking more helpless than she'd ever seen the trucker. It was almost cute how lost she appeared.

"What now?" asked Kim.

"I have no idea what to do about Stingray," admitted Shego. "Just, pick something for me to wear so she doesn't get the wrong idea. If, you know, she IS interested in me. I don't want her to think—I mean, I can't go attracting the attention of..."

Kim laughed. "My fashion sense is hardly better than yours."

"That crazy woman has got me so screwed up right now I'm not thinking straight," said Shego. "Just make sure I'm not doing something stupid."

"Sure thing," nodded Kim, and stuck the book in her back pocket. She followed Shego back into the rig and looked at what the latter had laid out. It was all fairly conservative in her opinion, but she didn't want to further confuse things. "This and this," she said, pointed at a top and pants at random.

"Are you sure?" asked Shego, weakly.

Kim looked at her with pity.

"Right, whatever," said Shego. She grabbed the clothes and began stripping. Kim turned away politely.

"You have had dates before, right?" asked Kim, with a smile.

"This is NOT a date," said Shego.

"But you did find out I wasn't invited," said Kim.

"Not in so many words but... yeah, sure, you weren't invited."

"So what do you think you're going to talk about?"

"I don't know," said Shego. She sounded exasperated. "Her father. The race. Her league. Stupid stuff, I'm sure."

"Sound like you don't like it," said Kim.

"You _know_ I don't."

"So why didn't you cancel again?" asked Kim, smirking. Nobody could see her, not with her back to Shego and the shades up on the windows, but she was trying to restrain herself.

"She's- she's impossible!" said Shego loudly. "I tried to explain it to her, but she was all like, 'it's just a friendly talk' and things like, 'Oh it's not required but it would help place you,' and ... ugh! Why the hell didn't I cancel?"

"I've been asking you all afternoon," pointed out Kim.

"It's just easier to muster through this and then just not accept anything else she tries to offer," said Shego.

"If you say so," said Kim. This whole event was too amusing in her eyes.

"I do say so," said Shego. She rustled with something that sounded pleasant to Kim's ears. "I'm done."

Kim turned and looked. Shego was about as plainly dressed as she ever was. Blue jeans, simple green top, and her jacket unzipped and loosely on top. Kim thought how lucky that jacket was, and then lost herself in the rationalization as to why she'd ever think a jacket was lucky.

"Looks good," Kim said after she'd stomped out the errant thought.

"Too good?" asked Shego.

"No, you're fine," said Kim. "Perfectly casual."

Shego sighed loudly. "Thank you," she said, as if admitted defeat.

"Wow, did you just thank me?" asked Kim. "That's a first."

"It'll be the last then," snapped Shego. She stormed past Kim and jumped out of the rig. Kim just laughed and followed her out.

Shego already had one leg over her bike by the time Kim caught up. "You going to be okay without me?" asked Shego as she zipped up her jacket.

"I'll be fine," said Kim. "Don't worry, _mom_."

Shego rolled her eyes and slipped her helmet over her head. "Don't do anything stupid."

"What am I going to do? Sell your cargo?" said Kim. "I can't even drive that beast."

"Damn right you can't, and if it's up to me, you'll never learn how," said Shego. She narrowed her eyes at Kim. "I'll be back." She kick started her bike.

"Hey," said Kim, stepped forward and leaning in to make sure Shego could hear her over the roar of the engine. Her hand went surreptitiously onto Shego's back to keep her balance. "Don't do anything silly yourself. If she offers you a good deal, don't just reject it. Come back and we'll talk."

Shego shook her head. "If that's all this is about, I would be surprised. But fine, I won't outright reject everything she says. Just most of it."

Kim smiled. "I wouldn't expect anything less." She stepped away again and watched as Shego rode off.

*** KP – KP – KP ***

The Osthoff Resort was a massive hotel complex built on the shore of Lake Elkhart and immaculately decorated from the marble floors in the entranceways to the giant crystal chandeliers hanging overhead. Shego stepped in and was immediately uncomfortable. She felt incredibly out of place in her leather jacket and jeans.

Without missing a beat, however, Sylia Stingray, holding a wine glass in one hand and a black envelope in the other, stood up from the overstuffed couch and delicately waved at Shego. She had exchanged her trim and sleek pinstripe suit for a silver and blue evening dress with a white stole over her shoulders. She exuded the very essence of elegance and Shego's discomfort rocketed to maximum.

"Good evening, Shego," said Sylia as Shego approached. "I hope you had no difficulty finding this place."

"Uh, no, not at all," said Shego. She was warring mentally about saying anything about their despondent styles of dress while Sylia blithely continued.

"I've reserved a table at Lola's on the Lake, if you don't mind. I'm told the restaurant is quite nice. My room service apparently comes from there."

Shego frowned. She wondered if she would even be allowed into such a restaurant if Sylia was dressed appropriately. "I suppose," she hedged. It wouldn't be HER fault if Sylia hadn't specified the dress code and they were denied entrance.

"Please, then, this way," Syila said. She walked off through one of the archways out of the lounge, her hips slightly swaying as she walked causing her dress to sweep back and forth hypnotically.

Shego followed wordlessly until they were in the restaurant and at the table before realizing she'd been asked a question. "What?" she asked, coming back to herself.

"I was saying your times are quite impressive," said Sylia. She motioned to the black folder lying on the table between them. "Some of the best we've seen. The first rider I signed to work with me said that you had potential to be even better with training."

"I'm not used to the open track," said Shego.

"She noticed," nodded Sylia. "Still, given your performance, you're exactly what I'm looking for. I don't want to get ahead of ourselves, but I'd like to get our business out of the way first."

Shego frowned. "What do you mean?"

Sylia smiled demurely. "I mean, I'd like to offer you a position on the Foundation's team. You'd be second to our lead, Priss Asagiri, who is the only one who's done a better job on that track. But none of that is important in practice, you'll be considered independent racers, just using my hardware."

Shego raised her eyebrows. "That's awfully quick, having just met me this morning," she said. "How many racers are you looking for?"

"Only four, and you're number four. But I know what I want when I see it, and like I said, you're exactly what I want." Sylia voice was smooth and took on a sultry tone at the end.

Shego cleared her throat and looked slightly to the side. "I'm... uh, glad. But I don't want to accept anything without discussing it with Kim first. So, I'll... uh, get back to you."

Sylia nodded, keeping her easy smile as she leaned slightly forward. "Kim is... the girl who came with you? Kim Possible I believe you called her?"

"Yeah," nodded Shego. "She sees herself as my manager."

"Oh," said Sylia. "So should I be dealing with her instead?"

"No, you can deal with me," Shego said quickly. "I mean, she doesn't decide for me, she's more of an advisor. Of sorts."

"Hmm," mused Sylia. "It sounds like you don't know what she is to you."

"No, I know," Shego said defensively. "She's just – uh, sometimes a little ... well, she's a friend. Who helps. And wants to do... stuff."

"Very descriptive," teased Sylia.

"It's none of your business," Shego eventually decided.

"I'm sorry to intrude, I just wanted to make sure you're comfortable with how I'm interacting with you," she said. "You are, then? Comfortable with my interactions?"

Shego felt that discomfort feeling rising again, this time in was in her throat. "Sure. Okay."

Sylia licked her lips and took a sip from her wine glass. Shego noticed at that point that she had a wine glass in front of her as well, though she couldn't remember ordering anything. Feeling parched, Shego took a sip of her water instead.

"You seem very uncomfortable, Shego," said Sylia. "Do I put you on edge?"

"No," Shego said, quickly and defensively. She coughed as water ended up down the wrong pipe.

Sylia reached over and put a gentle hand on Shego's shoulder. "Are you alright?" she asked.

Shego shook her head. "I'm fine," she managed between coughs. Sylia's hand remained, however. Her fingers gently pressed on Shego's shoulder blade, until the latter's coughing subsided. "Fine," Shego said.

Sylia retracted her hand. "I have a feeling that you aren't being honest," she said idly. She ran her finger along the rim of her glass. "What can I do to put you at ease?"

"You're fine," Shego said as coolly as she could manage. She wiped her brow, which started sweating during the coughing fit.

"Maybe if I tell you about myself, it'll help?" offered Sylia. "I told you this morning about me coming to the Foundation, but that was only a few years ago. The Foundation's headquarters are in San Francisco, but I grew up in Boston."

"Boston?" asked Shego. "That's a long ways away."

Sylia nodded. "My mother was a professor of biology at MIT while my father was attending. They got married and raised me there until Mom died." Her smile faltered slightly but settled on a content look. "Due to the nature of how she died, my father ended up with a lot of money, and he used it to found the Stingray Foundation, taking it, and me, to California."

Shego nodded as she listened. A plate of appetizers showed up at that point and she took a bite of a bruschetta.

"Father was... busy a lot then," continued Sylia. "He had little time for me and Mackie, my brother. I had to take care of him most of the time. At first it was hard, since we were living in a relatively nice apartment for the time, but didn't have a lot of extra money. The first windfall for the Stingray Foundation happened when I was a freshman in high school. My father's patents ended up being used in a number of military satellites and he earned a huge stipend from the government for continued research. Everything changed then. Father started working from home and using videoconferencing, we moved into a very nice house."

Sylia smiled brightly again. "It was fun, for a while, at least while the military contracts were coming in. Eventually, though, my father got bored and he started working on other projects that caught his eye. Things like your motor designs, I'm sure, and a robotics initiative that consumed much of his time afterwards. By then, though, I was already in college. Caltech."

Shego froze at the mention of the technical university. Her mind spun up a myriad of scenarios where somehow this Stingray woman was tied to Dr. Possible. She tensed up at the thought of Kim being in danger, but Sylia just continued on.

"I followed my father's dream, mechanical engineering, hoping to be able to work with him in the future." Sylia shook her head. "Before I even finished my undergraduate, however, I heard about the accident. A fire in the labs, some chemical explosion that got out of control and overwhelmed the fire suppressant systems. I was told that father was trying to protect his work, his prototypes, but succumbed to smoke inhalation." She went quiet.

"I hadn't heard," said Shego after a couple minutes. "I mean, I heard he died, but not how."

Sylia nodded. "It doesn't get around quite as much," she said. "Not that it should be important to anyone else but me."

Shego silently agreed and then slowly took a sip of her wine. It was good, not that she was a connoisseur given its relative cost to beer and how hard it was for her to get drunk. She placed the glass down gently. The story _had_ calmed her down a bit, she was surprised to discover. Knowing that Stingray was human with a past made it easier for Shego to see her detached behavior as a result of her troubled childhood.

"How about you?" asked Sylia. She looked directly into Shego's eyes with her warm brown ones.

"I don't talk about my family," said Shego simply. "There's nothing to say."

"Not in touch with them then?" said Sylia.

"No," Shego replied. "Not at all, and I don't care."

"Okay," said Sylia. "I certainly appreciate that point of view. I won't pry. But I would like to know something about you."

"Like what?"

"Like... what do you like about racing?"

"Racing?" asked Shego. "The speed, mostly. The feeling. Being free, and alive."

"How did you get into it?" asked Sylia.

"I had an old beat up Mustang in high school that I learned how to fix," said Shego. "It was parked in our front lawn for god knows how long, but I got Sam, a friend of mine, to tow it to a shop and we worked on it. She was a grease monkey if I'd ever met one. I don't think she ever once wore clothes that weren't half covered in oil or coolant or rust. Well, except for... uh, never mind."

Shego shook her head. "Anyway, we turned that garbage heap into... well, a slightly nicer looking garbage heap that ran pretty well. We used to speed that clunker up and down the interstate with the top down, even in the dead of winter, just to see how fast we could get her to go." She gritted her teeth. "My lousy parents hated it, and one time when I was in jail for reckless driving they got the car out of impound and trashed the damn thing on me. I was red for a week, and after that week I left and never looked back."

Sylia looked surprised. "Over a car?"

"The car was just the last damn straw," Shego said sharply. "They never stopped their chittering about inappropriate behavior, late hours, too loud, too quiet, immoral relationships, devil on earth, screaming harpy, ungrateful gnat, dead weight, unwanted spawn, pointless... pointless—" her voice caught in her throat and she realized she was getting choked up. She grit her teeth angrily to wash away what she was feeling. That was another life, she didn't want to even think about it anymore. She wasn't that girl, constantly getting—

Sylia was next to her suddenly and again that hand was on her shoulder. Another hand had snaked up to rest on top of Shego's arm. "Hey, you don't have to do this if it hurts too much to think about."

Shego looked at her and tried to turn that anger on the strange woman. "Well, then don't ask!" she tried to shout angrily, but it almost sounded like a sob. That couldn't be right, she rationalized. This was crap from her history, just a footnote in her life. There was nothing left to get upset about. She was just distracted, she wasn't _actually_ sad. That would be stupid.

"Shh," soothed Sylia. "I'm sorry. I won't ask about it anymore."

Shego turned away. This woman was too close and she wasn't going away. Why was she bothering her like this? If this was what working with her was going to entail they were going to need to pretty clear boundaries established.

"Look," started Shego.

"Tell me about your bike," Sylia interrupted, she gently squeezed Shego's shoulder as she did. Her fingers slowly stroked the back of Shego's hand.

"My bike," Shego said, startled.

"Yes, Raven said he helped you build it," said Sylia softly.

"Yeah, he..." Shego paused to organize her thoughts and push out the noise. Yes, she could talk about this without the pain, she realized. She loved this story, after all, and wouldn't mind telling her. "He did. It was y-years ago, but I found her in a storage lot."

"Her?" asked Sylia.

"My baby girl," said Shego. "My bike. She was all trashed in somebody's abandoned storage locker..."

*** KP – KP – KP ***

_**[ADDENDUM VIEW=UPDATE]**__ S. Hedge has accepted my offer. __**[/ADDENDUM]**_

*** End Part Three

A/N: Complications! How exciting!

Once again I'm hinting at Shego's backstory, which is actually kind of tragic, but unfortunately you'll have to wait a little longer to get any significant detail on it. I promise, The Hitchhiker 3 is all about Shego's life, but I'm just not ready to tell it yet.

So, what do you think about Sylia's diary interludes? I wanted each character to have a unique voice as well as a unique categorization system. Sylia, being very organized and strict, I feel would use an XML based system to journal her thoughts. Real XML, of course, would be eaten by Fanfiction dot Net, so I used a pseudo-forum-code instead.

Next chapter this coming Friday.


	4. Tenth Avenue Freeze Out

**4. Tenth Avenue Freeze Out**

_Damn that Stingray. Can I say that knowing more about her has only made her more mysterious?_

_Our dinner went late last night. Very late. The Princess was sort of irritated with me when I came back way after dark, I think she expected me home sooner. I don't know why she would have that impression, I never said at all when I expected to be back, and Sylia hadn't given me any indication ahead of time._

_But that dinner was... unique. I admit to becoming a bit of a basket case at the start, but after a while we got to talking and it was nice. She eagerly talked to me about all sorts of racing, starting from cars and bikes and even her dreams of starting some experimental single-engine flight races to spur development in ultralights. She may look the businesswoman, but she knows her stuff. And she's friendly, despite her 'The Stoic' demeanor and her need to quantify everything and give it a number. It's a little irritating how precise and calculated she is but just when I'm about to slap her over it she breaks a smile and starts teasing me about it._

_So which is she? Is she the Stoic or the Joker? Does one surface from the other or is one just a mask? I haven't figured it out yet, but I will._

_I decided last night, after discussing it with Stingray, that I would give her little league a shot. She reminded me that I don't HAVE to quit my job to try it out, I could just line up a leave of absence and, if things don't work out, pick up my work again when it's over. I think a month or two will be plenty time to figure out where I stand. And since I'll be picking up a paycheck from the Foundation in addition to any purses I win, I don't even have to worry about money for a change. I can put my rig in lot with maintenance, and just travel with the Foundation for a while. Stingray even had no problem with Kim tagging along and even seeing if her account manager had some work to throw her way._

_This is like the perfect storm of opportunities for me. I can't believe how lucky I am._

*** KP – KP – KP ***

"I _thought_ we were going to talk about it," said Kim angrily as she closed her door.

"What was there to talk about?" asked Shego as she put the rig into gear. "You wanted me to take this job, and I decided I wanted to, so I went ahead and accepted."

"I _wanted_ to discuss it," said Kim.

"Princess, you just like to be all angry and full of ire." Shego waved her off with her hand. "Chill out."

"I don't _like_ being angry," said Kim. "I just don't want you to get into something that isn't good for you."

"Oh, so you're my parent now?" said Shego.

Kim shook her head and opened up the black folder that Shego gave her. "I haven't even had time to read this yet and you've already agreed."

"I didn't sign anything in blood," said Shego. "It's not a contract, it's a job offer. I'll be drawing a salary from the Foundation."

"Oh, the _Foundation_," mocked Kim.

"What the hell is your issue?" Shego said angrily.

"This!" Kim waved the folder. "This is my issue, it's too convenient. And your sudden change of heart is worrying too. I feel like we're being set up for something."

Shego sighed loudly. "This isn't your world," she said in a bored tone. "People aren't out to get us, and you're not some world renowned hero. There doesn't have to be double meanings behind everything."

"That doesn't mean you shouldn't be cautious," said Kim. "Look, I know I was all gung-ho about this before, but now that things are moving so quickly it's got me suspicious." She dropped her arms with an exasperated sigh. "You can't tell me you _really_ understand what Ms. Stingray is thinking."

Shego grumbled something inaudible before speaking up. "No, I can't, but I have a much better idea of what she wants from me and it's not to take over the world!"

Kim froze for a second and stared at Shego. "W-why did you say that?"

"Say what?" asked Shego, surprised at Kim's sudden change of demeanor.

"'Take over the world,'" said Kim. "Why did you pick that as something she wasn't going to make you do?"

"I don't know, it just popped up in my head as a silly aspiration," said Shego slowly.

Kim bit her lip and looked around suspiciously.

"Don't start getting paranoid," said Shego.

Kim frowned and looked at Shego closely.

"Come on, now, Princess," said Shego.

Kim shook her head and her frown slowly faded. "I'm worry about you," she said softly.

"I'm worried about _you_," said Shego. "You seem more skittish than normal."

"Maybe," said Kim. "I just find it odd, that's all. When something feels odd, at least in my old life, it meant something bad was coming along."

"Well, this isn't your old life," said Shego. "This is a whole new one, where we're going to take the world by storm."

Kim stared at her again.

"_Figuratively!_" Shego stressed. "Geeze, this is starting to become a thing with you."

"Sorry," Kim said and then smiled a bit. "I am glad to see you excited about this."

"Of course I'm excited," said Shego. "I'm getting what I want and I don't even have to risk anything to get it."

"Not even falling into the clutches of the 'Stoic'?" teased Kim.

"Ah, she's not so bad," Shego said.

Kim's smile faltered for just a second.

*** KP – KP – KP ***

Kim stared at her phone intensely as Shego drove them through Kentucky on their way to Nashville to make one of their last drop-offs. Kim hadn't said very much over the last couple hours and Shego was starting to wonder if there was something wrong with the normally energetic girl.

Just as Shego was about to ask, however, Kim turned to look at her.

"Do you know how the Foundation makes its money?" asked Kim.

Ah, this again, thought Shego. "Yes, they broker deals between companies to exchange proprietary information."

"That's what the Foundation itself does," said Kim. "But there are a bunch of companies that are owned by or partially owned by Stingray."

"Like the motorcycle companies?" asked Shego.

"Beyond that," said Kim. "She has invested in a number of semi-conductor companies, some robotics firms, and aside from her motorcycle conglomerate, she owns three other businesses. One makes lenses for cameras, another makes computer parts, and the third ... well, it's a lingerie line."

"Lingerie?" asked Shego, surprised.

"Well, lingerie among other things," Kim amended. "Although the focus is clearly lingerie. It's called – hah!" She laughed shortly. "Sorry, it's called the 'Silky Doll.'"

"Well, that's kind of on the nose," said Shego.

"No kidding! Apparently it's big in Japan though there are a few stores in the outlet malls across America."

"Well, she likes to diversify, apparently," said Shego.

"All in the last six years," said Kim. "She's like an entrepreneurial powerhouse. The net worth of the Foundation when her father was in charge ten years ago was around $120 million. Today the Foundation, combined with Stingray's holdings, has a net worth of over $1.6 billion. That's incredible."

Shego frowned. "And she spends her time having dinner with me."

"This motorcycle thing must be very important to her," said Kim.

Shego shook her head. "Why are you looking into this anyway? Still trying to find the evil scheme?"

"Just wanted to know who we're getting involved with," said Kim. "With so many things vying for her attention, I'm worried this might just be a whim to her. If it all falls apart, what happens to you?"

"Severance check, I suppose," said Shego. "Probably better than I'll get from my current boss."

"And you're out looking for a job again," said Kim.

"Look, Princess, I've thought about that, which is why I'm not making any decisions yet." Shego pointed at the phone in Kim's hands. "We'll get a couple months to figure out whether Stingray's actually interested in this league and then I can back out if I don't like what I hear."

"I suppose," said Kim.

"God, I should be paid by her PR department for how much time I spend defending her," Shego said.

"Why _are_ you defending her?" asked Kim.

"Because I don't see why you're attacking her," said Shego. "She isn't that bad, just _brusque_."

Kim shook her head. "That wasn't what you said before having 'dinner' with her. And then showing up really late." She frowned then looked at Shego suspiciously.

"Don't start," said Shego. "I don't like her _that_ much." She paused. "Besides, what are you? Jealous?"

"What? No," said Kim. "I'm... protective."

Shego started to smile. "Yeah, keep telling yourself that."

"Forget I said anything," said Kim.

"Not likely."

*** KP – KP – KP **

"Yeah, I'm wrapping up soon, so I'd say Sunday is probably when I'll be done," said Shego into the phone at the unloading dock in Richmond, Virginia. "We'll be up in Massachusetts area, so maybe Boston Logan is where you should get the tickets from."

Kim stood nearby making sure everything got loaded and unloaded from the truck. She'd gotten pretty adept at keeping track of the manifest on the rig ever since Shego started letting her do more than idle around during stops. Given how little was left in the truck now, it was easy to keep track of the packages, so she let herself eavesdrop on Shego's call with the Stoic.

"No, since I left my baby girl with you we really aren't going to be getting around much," said Shego. She paused again. "No, we don't but—" Another pause. "You don't have to do that, it's just overnight. We can manage."

Kim raised an eyebrow, wondering what was being offered.

"Hey, is this all?"

Kim turned to see a man holding a box and looking confusingly at its label. She rolled her eyes and walked over to compare the box to her manifest.

"You with Gemini Health Systems?" asked Kim. The man nodded. "Then that's it. Sign here please." The man signed the manifest under the appropriate line and she ushered him out. As she was pulling shut the door to the trailer and locking it, Shego walked up.

"We've..." she sighed suddenly. "Stingray has made hotel reservations for us in Boston and set us up with a car service to take us to Logan."

"Really," said Kim, flatly.

"What does it matter? We get to sleep in real beds for a change."

"If it doesn't bother you, then it doesn't bother me," said Kim turning towards the front of the rig. "I just thought you'd put more of a fight over someone making decisions for you."

"It's not like that!" Shego called out.

"Okay!" Kim called back, sounding unconvinced.

"You're being a real jerk about this," Shego pointed out.

"Okay!" repeated Kim in the same tone.

Shego growled and stormed around the rig to climb into the driver's seat. She started to put the truck in gear but stopped and then snapped her head around to look at Kim and glare.

"What is your problem?" Shego said loudly.

"My problem is that you're letting her walk all over you!" said Kim, just as loud.

"So what? It's a job, it's not a lifestyle change!"

"Damn right it's a lifestyle change, and you're just letting her make all the decisions for you."

"And that's _suddenly_ not allowed? Or are you the only one allowed to do that?"

"I don't want to decide anything for you. I just want to be part of the conversation!"

"Who says you _get_ to be? It's _my life_! Not yours and not Stingray's. _Mine_."

"Then don't let her push you around," said Kim sharply.

"Maybe I _want_ her to push me around? You ever think of that?" said Shego. "Maybe I _like_ being pursued by a gorgeous, powerful woman." She pointed between Kim's eyes. "Maybe I'm _tired_ of offering myself to someone only to get _silence _as a response!"

Kim opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. She looked stricken.

"Well that sounds familiar," Shego said angrily.

Kim looked down and breathed heavily. "It's just not like you to just let this happen."

Shego scowled. "Not like me, or some imagined version of me from your world?"

Kim looked up again with surprise. "What do you mean?" she asked slowly.

"I'm asking you if you're still comparing me to the woman from your world that used to beat you up and work with criminals?" said Shego clearly.

"How do you know about that?" demanded Kim. Her eyes widened. "You read my journals!"

"Damn right I did," said Shego. "After that lunatic doctor tried to drag you off I wanted to know just how much of a psycho you were. Well, I got my answer."

Kim grit her teeth so hard she felt like they were generating sparks. "You _bitch!_" she spat. Then she jumped out of her seat, kicked open her door, and leapt out, grabbing her bag on the way down.

"Where the hell are you going?" yelled Shego.

"It's NOT your concern," shouted Kim before slamming shut the passenger door and stomping off.

"Fine!" said Shego. She put the rig into gear and drove off.

*** KP – KP – KP ***

After a few hours had passed Kim began to feel the weight of what she'd done on her shoulders. She was back to being alone, and had ended up back on the east coast again, with no plan, no resources, and nowhere to spend the night. At least it was summertime and she probably wouldn't freeze to death at night, but what was going to do now? Where was supposed to be going?

She also felt guilty about how she'd reacted towards Shego. Here was a woman who had no reason to hide anything from her, who had in fact gone out of her way to expose her vulnerabilities to Kim, and yet the former hero could do nothing but treat her with skepticism. What kind of a friend was that? Were they even friends at all?

Kim wanted to believe they were, that they had been though the last few months together and had grown close. She knew that the trucker's attraction to her had been a source of tension, but she figured it would eventually pass, and it seemed like it did for a while.

But no, Shego was just hiding it. Trying not to seem overbearing. Exactly what Kim was afraid of happening happened. The resentment of not having what you want turned into anger and now she was walking alone through the streets of Richmond. Perhaps more alone than she'd been since arriving in this world because now she _knew_; she'd experienced friendship here and now its absence was chilling.

It was late night before Kim found a place to rest, a relatively quiet park on the riverside. She didn't imagine too many cops patrolled it at night so she propped herself up on a bench and stared at the stars, trying to figure out her next move.

Where did she go now? Should she go after Shego and apologize? Or was that too little too late? The Shego she knew from her world held grudges, and it was possible this Shego did too. There was also the matter of Shego's attraction to her. Was there any way to deal with that in a forthright manner without making things even worse? Kim realized that saying nothing was clearly the wrong choice, and she'd like to apologize for that as well, but she didn't know how. What do you say to someone who's attracted to you but you can't reciprocate?

Kim sighed and turned to look out over the river. A few boats with party lights were gently sailing through. The barest hint of their music carried over the waves to reach her ears. They were playing 'Lime in the Coconut.' She smiled slightly.

She missed Shego already. How strange was that? The bossy trucker wasn't friendly ... except when she was helping Kim out and paying for her things and taking her on fun excursions. She wasn't very delicate... except when they were talking about what happened with Dr. Possible, and the times she tried to help Kim deal with her feelings of isolation. She also wasn't gentle... except when she had carried her back to the truck when she fell asleep, and the soft touches on her hand when got to thinking about her world, and the hug when she was feeling particularly depressed in Seattle.

Kim bolted upright suddenly. Had she really been thinking of her as the Shego of her world? In retrospect, they hardly seemed similar at all. The Shego from home was always spouting insults, trying to hurt her, gloating, seeking power to better crush those in her way. This Shego - this world's Shego - had gone out on a limb for her several times, and had asked for nothing in return for the help. All she ever asked for, in fact, was companionship.

With a shiver, Kim felt a new wave of depression wash over her. She had been so rude to Shego and hadn't even realized it. How could she only have realized it now? _After_ Shego had driven off?

She was an awful person.

*** KP – KP – KP ***

Traffic on the New Jersey Turnpike was obscene. Every damn time Shego ran through this state she ended up stuck in some traffic jam or stopped at an accident miles up ahead. It was enough to drive a person to murder.

As a result she ended up with a lot of time to herself and her thoughts. It was terrible.

She didn't like what happened, and she _really_ didn't like that she'd left Kim behind back there, but what could she do now? It's not like she could go back or that Kim would even be there if she did. The little hero had managed on her own for over a year before Shego picked her up, she could do it again.

Of course, without Shego where would she go? Would she go back to Dr. Possible? That was a nightmare scenario to consider. The crackpot would probably dissolve her in acid to figure out how to extract his miracle cure.

But no, Shego couldn't bother herself worrying about it now because there was simply nothing she could do. They were separate now, and there was no way for them to meet up again.

For a few minutes, she could focus on that, and thought instead about her soon to be pro racing career. Without Kim around, however, it seemed sort of flat. Unexciting. It was the Princess who started this whole process in the first place, it seemed wrong that she wouldn't be around to see it happen. Then Shego would worry again what Kim was doing without her around and the cycle restarted.

All the way up to Newark, Shego kept going in circles, even as she supervised the unloading of her truck. Still her thoughts were stuck on it as she loaded on a few more boxes and headed off towards Vermont. By the time she arrived there, she felt tired, for perhaps the first time she could recall, and was begging for something else to occupy her thoughts as she swapped cargo again. She even tried to sleep it off that day but couldn't calm her mind.

Finally, she arrived in Framingham, Massachusetts and empted her rig, feeling almost like a zombie as she signed off on the last manifest and then took the truck one last time to a long term service station in Quincy. There she got into a taxi to take her to the hotel in Boston.

Whether it was out of force of will or exhaustion alone she fell asleep during the taxi drive only to be jostled awake by a suited woman in front of the hotel.

"Ms. Hedge," said the woman kindly as she gently shook Shego's arm.

"Hnng?" Shego blearily said.

"You're at the hotel, it's time to get out," said the woman.

Shego opened her eyes and blinked several times to clear them before she could focus on the woman in front of her. She at first thought she was a bellhop but as the shoulder length hair and green eyes came into focus she finally connected the face to a name.

"Yamazaki?" Shego said, confused.

Linna nodded at her and took her arm to gently help her out of the cab and onto her feet. Once the suited woman was convinced Shego wouldn't come toppling down, she stepped away and unloaded the trunk. Finally she paid the taxi driver and sent him away.

"Why are you here?" asked Shego as she slowly came back to her senses.

"Ms. Stingray wanted to meet you out here and fly back to Elkhart Lake together," said Linna.

Shego stared. "Stingray is here too?"

Linna made a small smile and nodded. "Yes. She's upstairs in the suite."

Shego felt Linna gently urging her forward and she began walking where she was being ushered. They ended up in an elevator where Linna used a key to get the penthouse floors to light up. They ascended swiftly but gently, and with a loud ping, the doors opened onto the penthouse villa.

Shego stepped off in awe of the suite. She found it hard to believe it was a hotel, it seemed like the condo for some rich foreign dignitary. She felt like she had no place in such an establishment, especially in her t-shirt and jeans.

"Shego!" called a melodic voice and Shego turned to see Sylia getting up from the couch in front of the windows to slowly walk over. She was, again, dressed to the nines, in a bronze colored dress with glittering sequins scattered across it.

Shego quickly gathered her wits about her and cleared her throat. "Stingray," she said with a nod. "Why did you come out here just to fly back?"

"To have dinner with you, of course," she said with a smile. She looked behind Shego and then at Linna, who shook her head. "Where is Ms. Possible?"

"Uh," started Shego. "We had a... you know, it doesn't matter. She's gone."

"Oh," said Sylia. "I'm sorry to hear that. Should I assume that is why you look so beaten?"

Shego shook her head. "I'm just a little tired," she said with a smile. "I could use a distraction though."

"Well, I've got a number of distractions lined up if you're interested." Sylia clasped her hands together. "Why don't you freshen up first? Have a shower and enjoy the services. I've brought you some clothes to pick from as well. They're lined up in your room."

"Okay," said Shego in a subdued manner. Sylia pointed towards the stairs leading up to the rooms and Shego dutifully began ascending them.

Sylia watched Shego go and once she heard the sound of the shower running she turned to Linna. "Do you have any idea what's going on?"

Linna shook her head. "Your toy broke herself, it seems."

"Hrm," said Sylia. "See what you can dig up about Ms. Possible, I'll get what I can out of Shego. If she's this despondent without her, we may need to make sure she's brought in and kept happy."

"Lotta work for just another girl who caught your eye," said Linna.

"She DID post the closest times to Priss I've ever seen." Sylia looked at her sternly. "But, I have the freedom to pursue who I want, do I not?"

Linna held up a hand. "It's fine by me; just don't bankrupt the foundation chasing tail."

Sylia grinned. "Would I do that?"

"Yes. Yes you would, Syl," said Linna. "Should I have Possible brought in if I can find her?"

"Not yet," said Sylia. "Keep the option open. But I'll see if I can raise Shego's spirits another way."

Linna looked pained. "Someone so lecherous should not have so much money."

"Oh, shoo, and do your job," Sylia waved her off. Linna bowed and stepped back into the elevator.

*** End Part Four

A/N: Kim and Shego are splitzville! What will our girls do and how will Sylia try to serve her own means?

I noticed that a few people are making predictions regarding the future of this story based on assumptions that Sylia is a villain. She's not a villain, I'm sorry to say, she's just a very opportunistic character. She has goals and objectives that you may or may not agree with, and we may see more of them in the future. But this series has, thus far, been squarely centered on Kim and Shego, so I've been intentionally leaving out some of the details regarding Sylia until such time that either Kim or Shego become aware of them.

Next chapter is on Tuesday!


	5. Night

**5. Night**

"Do you want to talk about it?" asked Sylia during their second course at dinner. Shego looked up from her wine glass – her fourth, Sylia silently noted – and shook her head slowly.

"No, its fine," she said in reply. "There's nothing to say. She's gone, it's my fault, and she's not coming back."

"Bad argument?" asked Sylia.

"Stupid argument," said Shego.

"Ah, the worst kind."

"I agree," grumbled Shego. "Like I said, it's over. Let's move on."

"Were you close?"

"Nosey today, aren't you?" said Shego.

"No, I'm nosey all the time," said Sylia with a smile.

Shego rolled her eyes. "I thought that there could be something... there, but... there wasn't. Ugh. It's better off this way."

Sylia nodded slowly and swirled her wine glass. "Let's talk about something else then."

"Please," said Shego.

"Let's talk about you," said Syila.

"Let's not go digging into my past again, okay?"

"I can't promise anything," said Sylia seriously. "But I'll try."

Shego found herself smiling despite her efforts. "You are so weird."

"Says the grunge-trucker-street-racer."

"What do you want to talk about?" Shego said directly, hoping to corral the conversation for a change.

"I want to know what you _want_," said Sylia, stressing the last word. "And how I can help you get it."

"Is this a self-actualization seminar?" said Shego. She looked around for a hidden camera. "Does Dale Carnegie work for the Foundation?"

Sylia looked at her, eyes sparkling a little. "You _like_ to play ignorant."

"No, not really," Shego shook her head.

"I think you do," said Sylia with a nod. "You deflect any topics that bother you. And you spent considerable time with a girl you were interested in but never actually told her, did you?"

"I _did _as a matter of fact," Shego said sharply. "She wouldn't talk back." She raised a brow. "And how about you? I don't for a second believe that all this is to court a racer who has _already agreed_ to join your payroll."

"Maybe not," said Sylia.

"You do this for all your racers, then?"

"I absolutely did it for at least one other," said Sylia with a nod.

"Did you try to sleep with them too?" asked Shego.

Sylia opened her mouth but hesitated for only a second. "I _tried_," she admitted. "She wouldn't play."

"Hrm," grunted Shego.

"Does that bother you?" asked Sylia.

"That you use your employees as your own personal dating pool?" asked Shego tersely.

Sylia gave her an incredulous look. "Does it turn you off unless people act coy? Should I pretend not to be worldly? Should I act like a bubble headed high school student?"

"No," said Shego. "That is absolutely not what I'm saying."

"Well, then what?" asked Sylia. "As long as we're being honest, what could I have done to get you interested?"

Shego glanced at Sylia and then looked down at her glass of wine. "I never said I _wasn't_ interested."

Sylia's eyes lit up. "Oh, then tell me what worked."

"I'm not going to be _that _honest," Shego said quickly. She felt herself flush slightly and she downed the rest of her wine to hide it. Sylia watched her like a lion watching a doe. "You talk now. You're better at it."

Sylia leaned back in her chair. "What would you like to know?"

"Anything," said Shego. "Tell me about Yamazaki."

"Oh _that's_ not a mood killer," said Sylia with a laugh. "Talking about another woman at dinner."

"You'll deal," said Shego. "I've already said too much."

"Ah, the mysterious Shego," Sylia said with mirth. "Very well, I'll tell you about Linna. She is my closest friend and I have known her since I was a child here in Boston. My parents knew her parents and we often were babysat together with Mackie."

Sylia drank the rest of her wine and set the glass down gently. "We were separated, of course, when dad moved us to California, but we stayed in touch. I flew back to see her every now and then, especially after the Foundation took off. I helped her with her auditions to Juilliard." She sighed. "She was the most magnificent dancer. Graceful, with an incredible strength both physical and mental. And determined! She would set herself on a goal and nothing would come between her and her objective. It was a sight to behold."

Sylia waved over a waiter who dropped off a new bottle and filled both hers and Shego's glasses. "She was also a perfectionist who did not deal with failure well. Dance is about skill, of course, but it's also about appearance. Linna's talent was apparent but she did not always fit the performances she tried out for. And, for whatever reasons, idiot directors thought other people were more skilled than her. It devastated her and she would have fallen into a black hole had I not been there."

"How?" asked Shego.

"I employed her, of course," said Syila. "Oh sure, I have nothing to offer a dancer from a career perspective, but I have a lot to offer a dedicated, detail oriented, trustworthy friend." Sylia sipped her wine and shrugged. "Someday I'll find something more suited for her skills, but I'm at least satisfied right now that she's not going to do something regretful."

"You're looking out for her," said Shego.

"Of course," said Sylia. "Though you can never tell her that, I'm sure she's get anxious about it. It's silly really. I think of her as my family, and I would do no less for Mackie if asked."

"Do you intend to add everyone in your league to your family?" Shego asked with an arched brow.

"Not at all," Sylia tilted her head. "The league is professional. What I've offered to you, however, is different than that. I need to feel like I can trust the people who work closely with me. The riders I've been seeking for the Foundation are not just sponsored participants, though they will ride in the competition."

Sylia leaned forward and folded her hands in front of her. "What I see you and Priss and Nene as, are the vanguards of the Foundation's push into this industry. Because of that, I want you to feel comfortable with what we're doing and I'll be interested in your feedback. Consider it a consulting job, if you will. As a representative from the audience we're trying to target, your opinion will be very valuable."

"You're courting the grunge-trucker-street-racer demographic directly?" Shego said, skeptical.

Sylia smiled slyly. "I'm courting at least _one_ grunge-trucker-street-racer directly."

Shego looked uncomfortably away.

"What's wrong?" Sylia ask kindly.

"You're very forward," said Shego.

"I think you can be too," replied Sylia.

"Don't you... you know, have any problem with trying to hire someone you want to bed?"

Sylia pondered that. "No. Should I?"

"It's a ... you know, conflict of interest."

"Desire is desire," said Sylia. "Why does it have to be more complicated than that? The Foundation is a private held company. Nobody is going to complain about how I run it." She rested her head on her hand. "I have my whims, I admit, but I try to make them work for me. Why suffer to separate my personal life from my professional one?"

"It makes things difficult in the long run," said Shego.

"Tell me, Shego, how 'long' is the long run?" asked Sylia. "How many constants are there in your life? What's the longest game you've ever been fortunate to play?" She looked bored suddenly. "A couple years? Maybe half a decade? I've seen people rise and fall multiple times in my short life, companies come and go, trends and fads explode then vanish. And yet people smother the excitement in their lives planning for a long game that never comes."

Sylia shook her head. "No. Life is too short to waste. Live right now or not at all."

Shego sighed. "You're just like that because your parents died young."

"And where are your parents, then?" said Sylia.

Shego frowned. "You _know_ I'm not going to talk about that."

"That is my point," said Sylia. "We are two people for whom the natural constants of our lives, our families, turned out to be mere trivialities. Did my father plan for the event that he would die when I was nineteen? No, he planned for retirement. He left behind money for me. Money that did nothing to make up for the fact that _he wasn't there_."

Sylia crossed her arms and looked stoically to the side. "I'll preserve his legacy, keep his company alive, but it will not govern my life. That's _mine_."

Shego stared at the woman across from her. The Stoic couldn't even look angry, just impassive, still. Shego still wondered whether Stingray's natural state was a burning fire of emotion or just a statue in a field, but tonight she'd gotten an indication towards the prior. Her stoicism was a defense, Shego guessed, to protect a wild girl who wanted to run free.

She could relate to that.

Shego stood and moved over to Sylia's side of the table. She held out a hand. "Come on."

Sylia looked up at Shego and then down at the hand. "What?"

"I want to dance," said Shego. "Would you like to dance?"

"There's no dance floor," said Syila.

"Then we'll go find one."

Sylia looked at the table. "We haven't even gotten our main course yet."

"I'm not hungry," said Shego.

*** KP – KP – KP ***

Kim climbed out of the large SUV and stepped onto the nighttime streets of Philadelphia. Closing the door behind her, she leaned against the window frame and smiled kindly.

"Thank you, Mr. Fenton," she said. "I really appreciate your help."

"My pleasure, Miss, you were delightful company," said the oversized man in the driver's seat. "I can't believe anyone would just leave you there in the rain."

"You'd be surprised," Kim said, never once breaking her grateful smile.

"If you ever find yourself in Amityville, let me know," said Mr. Fenton. He handed her a business card that was bright lime green. It was practically glowing. "I can always use an extra hand in my work."

"What about your son?" asked Kim. "Didn't you say he was a natural in your pest extermination business?"

"Ah, aheh," Mr. Fenton laughed awkwardly. "He is, but in a completely different way. He has his own work to deal with."

"Well, I'll give you a call if I'm in the area," said Kim. She shook Mr. Fenton's hand and waved as he drove off.

Kim sighed. Halfway there, and less than a day left. She was starting to get worried that she's miss her opportunity entirely if things didn't pick up. She glanced around quickly to get her bearings and then crossed the street to head into an apartment building on the opposite side.

She scanned the row of mailboxes just inside the door and found the name she was looking for. Up three floors she climbed the stairs before getting to apartment 3B and knocking on the door. After a few minutes an older woman with long hair and dark skin answered.

"Ms. Load?" said Kim, smiling and offering a hand. "I'm not sure if you remember me but—"

"Kim Possible!" she said, surprisingly. She immediately bent down and gave Kim a hug. "What a surprise! Come in!"

Kim looked skeptically at the mother but slowly followed her into the apartment. Kim had never been to this apartment before and was surprised at how neat and clean the place was. A few Spartan decorations hung from the walls showing family photos in various locales, but otherwise the living room and kitchen was populated with simple furniture neatly organized at right angles to one another.

"Can I get you a drink?" said Mrs. Load. "We have lemonade, iced tea, bottle water—"

"Water is fine, Mrs. Load," said Kim. The older woman retrieved a plastic bottle from the fridge and handed it over to Kim, who drank heavily from it. She hadn't gotten to eat or drink very much over the last couple days, so she could save every dime she had on her for travel. "I'm ... surprised you remember me so well, Mrs. Load."

"Oh, how can I forget?" replied the mother. "I can't thank you _enough_ for whatever it was you said to Wade. It's like he's been a completely different person recently."

"Really?" said Kim. She scanned her memories trying to remember saying anything important to Wade when she had met him briefly last year. "And that's a good thing?"

"Yes, of course. He's been leaving his room, going out and about, meeting people, making connections. He's broken entirely out of his shell after you helped us with that thief last year."

"It's no big," said Kim. "I'm sure it was just the trauma with the theft, though."

"No, it was definitely you," Mrs. Load said with a giddy smile. "I think he has a bit of a crush on you."

"Oh," said Kim, her eyes going wide. Maybe it wasn't such a great idea to come here.

"Don't worry, dear, it's just a passing thing with boys his age," assured Mrs. Load. "Do you want to see him?"

"Uh, sure," said Kim. "Though I was kind of hoping to ask you something."

"Certainly, dear," said Mrs. Load. "What is it?"

"I was wondering if you knew a way I could get to Boston from here, quickly," said Kim. "I've been hitching from Richmond for a couple days now and I'm concerned I'm not going to get there in time."

"From here to Boston?" said Mrs. Load. She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Well you could take a train. Amtrak runs from 30th Street to Boston. Takes about six hours and runs through the night."

"Do you know how much that would cost?" asked Kim. She didn't have much at all, but she could probably find a way to scrounge up some cash in short order if she needed to. There were several opportunities for quick work in a big city like Philadelphia if you knew where to look and were willing to be paid under the table. Kim didn't particularly care for the underhanded nature of those things, but she considered this to be an emergency.

Mrs. Load looked at Kim with her lips scrunched up to the side in what Kim imagined was a pensive expression. Then she said, "Why don't you go see Wade? I'll make a few calls and let you know how much it'll be."

"Okay," said Kim. "Thank you so much."

"Don't you worry about it, I'm just glad for what you did," said Mrs. Load.

Kim stood up and headed towards one of the two bedrooms in the apartment. Mrs. Load's (and her husband's, Kim supposed) room was open and dark, but the second door was closed with a dim green light emanating from beneath the door and a humming noise coming from within. Kim knocked, experimentally.

"Wade?" she said. "This is Kim Possible. Can I come in?"

Kim listened and the humming noise stopped. Then there was silence for a second, and then she heard the scurrying of what sounded like a hundred feet scampering, knocking things over and banging into walls. After a minute and a half of the noise it calmed down and the door suddenly opened.

"Hi... Kim," said Wade. He was leaning against the door as he opened it, his legs crossed, and wearing what looked like a black sports coat over a t-shirt and jeans. He was giving Kim an expression she could almost see as an attempt at looking suave, but it just made Kim giggle seeing it on the short, plump, and awkward boy. "What brings you here?"

"I was in the area," Kim said, taming her giggles. "I thought I'd stop by and ask your mother something. She said you would like to say hello."

"Hello," said Wade, in a suddenly deep and smooth voice. Or at least, he was trying to use a deep and smooth voice. "Why don't you come in?"

Kim laughed a little again and strode forward. Wade's room was not big – the whole apartment wasn't too large – but contained a small bed pushed to the corner, a massive desk taking up the entire wall in front of the window, and computers. Lots and lots of computers and video game consoles and monitors hung off arms attached to the walls.

Kim was surprised at the place, not having expected such a setup to be owned by the shy boy who could only talk intelligently about a game called Sumo Slammers when she first met him last year. She wondered if all this was necessary to play video games in this world.

Curious, Kim asked him straight out. "What's all this do?" she gestured towards the setup.

"Ah, this is my latest setup," said Wade. "After you told me all about that boy you knew who was the amazing hacker and surveillance genius, I started tinkering around with some of that stuff just to see what it was like." He spun on his heels to look at Kim with a wild expression on his face. "It is SOOO cool! Did you know that over sixty percent of the city is covered by security cameras and most barely have any security at all let alone encryption to worry about? Or that like over 90 percent of all wireless networks are protected with the password "admin"?"

"Uh, no?" said Kim, a little taken back but still entertained by Wade animated nature.

"It's incredible what someone can do with the right knowledge," he said. "There was even a Pumpcon conference in Philadelphia this year! I had to go, it was incredible."

"What's a pumpcon?" asked Kim.

"It's a hacker convention," said Wade. "Small scale, in the grand scheme of things. I'm trying to get mom to let me go to DEF CON in Vegas. If not, I've found a few people who are going to livestream most of the presentations."

"I don't know what any of that means," said Kim, honestly.

"There's so much to learn out there," said Wade. "And its way more interesting than CTF or Hording, though I've found lots of hackers who like to do that too. It's a great networking tool. I found a few people at MIT who are willing to help me improve my chances of admission."

"MIT?" asked Kim. "Aren't you a little... young?"

"Only a couple years early," said Wade. "There are plenty of people admitted younger than I am. I just need to get my high school requirements out of the way. If I put a little time in and study for reals, I think I could pass a proficiency test enough to qualify me for an application."

"Wow," said Kim. "I'm really impressed. I really never thought what I said would have such an effect on you."

"It's like finding your calling," said Wade. "And I'm only fifteen! Think of how much I could do!"

Kim looked knowingly at him. "I have somewhat of an idea."

Wade beamed and jumped onto his chair and began tapping away on one of his keyboards. "Want to see something cool? The national weather center has a open port that streams raw data from their equipment. I've been working with a couple of guys to write a program to interpret the data and render it. Watch!"

Wade pressed a button that brought up a map of the US with a myriad of colored dots on it. "These represent all the monitoring stations and the nature of the data they're streaming based on some fuzzy thresholds. Red means rains, green means snow, black means barometric changes and so on. The weather stations use this data to paint their weather maps and then use some sort of tweening process to anticipate what's coming next. But watch the black dots over times."

Wade moved a trackball and the color dots slowly changed over time almost like a Christmas tree.

"It's pretty," said Kim.

"No, no, look at the black dots," said Wade.

Kim studied the map. Black dots were appear and disappearing all over the map, she couldn't make sense of it. "I don't see it."

"It helps if I draw the direction of flow," said Wade, and he pressed a button. Series of black lines drew themselves over the map originating around the big cities and streaking across the nation to end in other cities. "See it now?"

"It looks like a spider web," said Kim. She looked at a few bundles of thick lines coming out of New York. "Or a flight map."

"Exactly!" said Wade. "This is the slight change in barometric pressure detected by the weather center's instruments when a plane flies overhead."

Kim stared. "This is a map of all of today's flights."

"Not all, only the flights that fly over weather centers and are large enough to trip the barometric readings," said Wade. "But isn't that incredible? Who knew you could track planes this way?"

Kim frowned slightly. "I'd be careful with this information, Wade. You wouldn't want anyone to get the wrong idea about what you're trying to do."

"This is public, the weather center is making it available on the internet," said Wade.

"I doubt it's intentional," said Kim. "You should still be careful."

"Ah, you're a worry wart," said Wade. "Mom complains too."

"I complain about what?" asked Mrs. Load as she walked in. She folded her arms and looked expectantly at her son. "About you putting yourself in legal trouble? Yes, yes I do."

"You should probably listen to your mom," said Kim.

"Ah, you're no fun," said Wade. He pressed a button and the map vanished.

Mrs. Load shook her head but was still smiling. She held out a paper to Kim. "Here you go, dear."

Kim took the paper and looked at it. "What's this?"

"It's a ticket to Boston," said Mrs. Load. "Leaves in over an hour, you might want to see about getting down there soon."

"How much will this cost?" said Kim, alarmed.

"Don't worry about it, I took care of it," said Mrs. Load.

Kim's mouth dropped. "Oh, you can't do this, Mrs. Load. I wasn't looking for a—"

"It's okay, dear," said Mrs. Load. She patted Kim on the shoulder. "It's the least I can do for your help, and for being a friend to Wade when others just pushed him around."

"Mom!" said Wade. "I wasn't being pushed around!"

"Of course not, sweetheart," said Mrs. Load. She looked back to Kim. "Take that and get where you need to be, with my thanks."

"Aww, so she won't stay for dinner?" asked Wade.

"She's a busy girl," said Mrs. Load. "But I'm sure there will be other opportunities."

Kim looked up when she felt Mrs. Load and Wade's eyes on her. "Oh, yes, absolutely," she said quickly. "I've been getting around a lot lately but I'll stop by every time I'm in the area. At least to see how you're doing."

"There you go," said Mrs. Load. Wade didn't seem fully satisfied, but nodded. "Well, you should be on your way if you're going to catch that. You can take the Market Street subway to 30th Street. Do you have change for the turnstile?"

Kim nodded. "Yes," she said.

"Then I wish you luck," said Mrs. Load. She reached over and hugged Kim again.

"Thank you," Kim said emphatically. "I'm... this is well and beyond what I expected. I really, really appreciate it." She stared at the ticket, and fought the urge to tear up at the kindness.

"Is someone waiting for you in Boston?" asked Mrs. Load quietly.

Kim paused and then slowly nodded. "Yeah. Been waiting a long time actually."

"Then don't make them wait any longer," said Mrs. Load.

Kim looked up. "I won't."

*** End Part Five

A/N: I realize I've centered this series on Kim and Shego but I like to interject some of the other Kim Possible side characters from time to time. Given how big a role Wade plays in the series, I felt bad that he only got a passing reference in the first Hitchhiker story. So here I've expanded that into a more developed character that I'll be able to leverage again in the future. Possibly in Hitchhiker 4.

So we have Kim and Shego both handling the argument quite differently. Shego is trying to ignore it and move on, possibly with Sylia or in some other direction. Kim, who has the benefit of knowing where Shego will be in the morning, is trying to catch up and rectify things. Will either succeed? And what happens to Sylia in that picture?

By now you probably expect I won't actually answer all those questions. In fact, the next chapter is the penultimate chapter of Hitchhiker 2, so there will be no author's notes after the next installment. I've made a deliberate choice to grow this story in as organically as possible, which sometimes means plot threads come in and leave without resolving. Don't worry too much about them, they'll be back.

See you all after the epilogue!

Next chapter comes on Sunday night, and the epilogue will follow on Tuesday!


	6. Thunder Road

**6. Thunder Road**

_Entry 44_

_Oh my god, what on earth did I do last night?_

*** KP – KP – KP ***

The morning sun coming in from the tall windows of the hotel penthouse struck Shego right in the eyes and she groaned angrily at the intrusion. Her head was throbbing and her throat felt like sandpaper. The last thing she wanted to do was wake up in this manner, so she turned onto her side to bury her face in her pillow. As she shifted her weight, she bumped up against someone else.

Shego's eyes shot open and she looked up to see a figure sitting on the edge of her bed. The sudden motion caused Shego's headache to swell, however, and she nearly toppled from the rush.

"Easy there," said Sylia, looking down at Shego with a satisfied smile. She was still in her dress from last night, Shego noted, but it was heavily wrinkled and her hair was a mess. As she was looking at Shego she was removing her earrings from her ears.

"What?" Shego blurted. "What... You—"

Sylia eyes were half lidded as she looked at Shego with a hungry expression.

"Don't you have a room of your own?" Shego said, then slapped a hand to the side of her head to help hold it up.

"Hmm, yes, but this one was much more fun," Sylia said with a purr. She palmed her earrings and then ran a slender finger down Shego's arm before standing up and rocking her hips out of the room.

Shego looked down at herself and noticed she was NOT wearing her dress anymore. She did have her underwear on, though, which was a relief. As the realization settled upon her, she squawked, and covered herself up with the bed sheet immediately.

In the distance she could hear pleasant laughter from Sylia.

Shego gripped her head with both hands and tried to remember what had happened last night. She remembered... leaving the hotel and going to a club. Or several clubs? The insides all blurred together in her mind and she couldn't tell if it was one party or multiple. Or even when they came back to the hotel. They had never had dinner, she vaguely recalled, but damn did she drink a lot. First the wine then the champagne, and finally the shots joined them by the end.

Being hung over was a state that Shego hadn't felt in years and made her want to rip her head clean off to end the constant pressure against her skull. God, why couldn't she remember what the hell she did last night? Was it a good sign or a bad one that she was missing her dress but her underwear was still on? What the hell was Sylia doing in her bed?

With a groan, Shego slipped out from under the covers again and began searching for clothes to wear. She found her outfit from yesterday stacked next to a pile of brand new clothes that Sylia has apparently bought for her. Grabbing her old clothes she found someone had laundered them overnight and they were clean, pressed, and smelled faintly of lavender.

Dressed again, Shego calmed herself as best she could and exited the room and headed down the stairs to the main floor of the penthouse suite. Sylia was sitting at the bar near the kitchen, drinking a steaming cup of coffee while reading from a manila folder. She was still in her dress still but now had a plush robe hung over her shoulders. Linna was also there, dressed in a new suit, and quietly sorting pages from a thick envelope into two piles.

"Not going to sleep in?" said Sylia, looking up from her folder.

"I have a killer headache," said Shego.

Linna stopped immediately what she was doing and walked towards the kitchen. "I'll get you some medicine."

"I would expect so, since we skipped dinner and you drank enough to drown an elephant," said Sylia with a demure smile.

"I don't remember you holding back," said Shego. She came over and sat at the breakfast bar as well, though a few stools away. She rubbed her temples slowly.

"You weren't watching close enough," said Sylia simply.

Shego glared at her just before Linna walked up again and offered a pair of orange tablets and a glass of ice water. Shego quickly took the medicine and washed it down with the water.

"Coffee?" asked Linna. Shego nodded and soon she had a tall mug in front of her with a hot beverage.

Shego breathed deeply from the top of the cup, taking in the pleasant aroma. She was hardly a coffee fiend but there was something wonderful about the smell of a fresh cup of excellent coffee. She took a sip and was pleased with the taste.

"So," she said. "Now what?"

"Now you are an employee of the Foundation," said Sylia. "I had Linna send the request through HR this morning, so after you arrive in San Francisco this afternoon, you'll be put through some basic training and legal proceedings, and have your security setup for all our facilities. Then you'll probably want meet with Asagiri and Romanova, and start the process for getting our first competition set up."

"Competition?" said Shego.

"For the Stingray Grand Prix," said Sylia. "It's just a temp name right now, but in absence of anything better from my marketing team, we're using it. I'll be returning to Elkhart Lake to do the second round of prelims and see what our turnout is. After that I'd like you and Asagiri to go to Florida for the prelims there while Romanova and I go to Nevada. After six rounds, we'll have our initial list and can start setting up classes."

"Woah, I'm going to be in charge of running this competition?" asked Shego.

"One of several people in charge, but yes," said Syila. "You'll be excluded from any decisions involving who will race in what circuit so that you can't be accused of stacking the races in your favor. And once we're done with the initial management, you'll all start practice for the upcoming race."

"When will that actually be, precisely?" asked Shego.

"The race?" said Sylia. "November 15th at the Vegas Motor Speedway."

"That's more than three months away," said Shego.

"Well, it takes time to get these races together," said Sylia.

"I only asked for a three month leave of absence," said Shego. "I'm not even going to get to race before going back."

"Are you planning on going back?" asked Sylia, arching a brow.

"I... wanted the option," said Shego.

"I'm sorry then, but these dates were set before we even met," said Sylia. "You'll have plenty of opportunities to race before then, I suspect, but none for a title."

Shego frowned and said nothing.

"Are you unclear on anything else?" asked Sylia directly. "I don't want you to feel like I'm hiding anything from you just because I never gave you the opportunity to ask."

Shego sat still for a second and then looked at Sylia from the corner of her eye. "What happened last night?"

Sylia straightened suddenly. "You don't remember," she said.

"Not everything," said Shego. "I haven't drunk that much in a long time. I'm not used to it."

Sylia looked unsettled briefly, and then was still for moment more before standing up with an impish grin. "You were very ladylike," she said.

"Feh," scoffed Shego.

Sylia walked around the back of Shego's stool and draped her arms over the latter's shoulders, placing her lips beside Shego's ears. "This lady, however, doesn't kiss and tell. Though there was one thing I did last night that wasn't a kiss and you certainly didn't mind."

Shego swallowed nervously. She could feel Sylia's breath on her ear. "Oh, yeah? What's that?"

"This."

Shego shivered as she felt Sylia tongue gently lick up the side of her ear slowly and sensually. She felt her breath catch when it was done, and then the weight of Sylia's arms lifted from her shoulders. "I hope we get to do more," Syila whispered into Shego's ear. Then she walked away.

Shego sat, paralyzed on her chair as she heard Sylia ascend the stairs and enter one of the rooms. She felt tingling in her body and around her recently touched ear. With trembling hands she picked up her coffee mug and took another sip.

"Hrm."

Shego turned to see Linna cleaning our Sylia's mug and shaking her head slowly.

"She doesn't do that with everyone, does she?" asked Shego.

Linna didn't look up. "She's never tried with me. Other than that, I can't say."

"What did you see last night?" asked Shego.

"I don't gossip about my employer," Linna replied.

"I thought she was your friend," said Shego.

This time she did look up. "She is," said Linna. "And I wouldn't gossip about my friend either."

"I was _there_, it's not gossip," said Shego.

"What makes you think _I _was there?" asked Linna. "I'm not bound at the hip to her. I was off doing some late work she's asked me to handle."

"Like what?"

Linna stared at Shego, then placed the mug on the counter and then leaned beside it. "It seems to me that Sylia is pretty determined to be close to you, and you have only a few options. Keep treating her like an enemy forcing her to go to even greater lengths to ensnare you. Give in and enjoy the shower of attention for however long it lasts. Or find some middle ground there where you don't have to give up part of your identity to be in a relationship with her."

Shego looked depressed and sighed. "Where's the middle ground?"

Linna shrugged. "Beats me, I gave up."

Shego buried her head in her arms. "Ugh!"

Linna looked at her sympathetically and then craned her neck to look up at the second floor. "Or," she said quietly. "You could go meet your friend and find out what she wants to do."

Shego froze then shot her head up to look at Linna, who had gone back to cleaning up the kitchen. "What do you mean?" asked Shego.

Linna glanced at her briefly, then returned to her work.

Shego stood up and leaned over the counter towards Linna. "Where is she?"

Smoothly, Linna pulled out a phone and held it up for Shego, showing a picture a picture of Kim standing near a crowd of people in front of a giant window.

Shego stared. "What..." she paused. "Is this Logan?"

Linna swiftly pocketed the phone and went to hang the towel off the arm of the oven. When she turned around she caught a glimpse of Shego running through the living room to grab her leather coat and then racing into the elevator which closed quietly behind her.

Linna crossed her arms and nodded.

*** KP – KP – KP ***

Airports are focal points of organized chaos. At any given time hundreds of people are trying to get from one place to another, frequently in a rush, and often will not have all the information they need to successfully navigate the hub and spoke model that most airports are constructed in. Amidst this chaos, however, there are several organized checkpoints invariably in every passenger's path, where strict rules limit the speed one can travel and the key documents that must be presented to continue onward. Like a bee hive, the frantic movement and near constant chattering can be overwhelming if you don't have a means of deciphering the activity.

So it was with great anxiety that Shego stepped into Boston Logan International Airport and began her search for Kim. She knew the girl could not possibly have gotten past security without a ticket, and unless she had stumbled upon a bag of cash in her journeys, she would not have one, nor a valid license or credit card to pick up the tickets that were reserved for Shego and her. But the part of the airport outside of security was possibly the most irregularly designed areas in the entire complex.

Shego roamed the ticket desks, slowly walking, scanning with her eyes, for the telltale frock of red hair that would designate her Princess. Each booth and chair had to be inspected and when that bore no fruit so did each bathroom and restaurant. Finally she descended to the luggage areas to look further, and after that the transportation lobbies and remote rental buildings.

She had no idea what she was going to do when she found her. She had found herself moving with urgency out of instinct alone. She had been without her Princess for days now and the mere thought of being next to her again filled her with such energy she refused to stop to think about what she was doing until she was standing in the airport ground transportation lounge, looking out across the Hertz welcoming area, and saw her Princess sitting by a large window and looking out at the morning sun.

Why had she come here? The question rose to the top of Shego's thoughts and paralyzed her. They had fought last time they were together. Kim had been angry with her. She was the one to flee, to run off and abandon Shego, so why should Shego be the one to do anything?

But that was too simple a rationalization. Shego was there because she had to be, she realized. She didn't want to be apart from Kim. And even with all the complications that introduced, the anger and frustration at being turned away, the constant discomfort of being next to someone she desired and not being able to do anything about it, the longing in her heart when she wondered if she would ever move on, all of that was not too much. The burden was great but it wasn't enough, not enough to wish her Princess away.

And yet, why did they fight? Madness that way went. It was almost as if Kim was jealous of the attention Sylia was showering on her. But if that was the case, if she didn't like Sylia influence on Shego's life, did that mean something? After all this time, had she broken through the walls Kim put up to keep them apart?

What about Sylia? Shego couldn't deny she was attracted to the woman. She was strong, cool, confident, intelligent, and closer to Shego's age. But that attraction did not come at the cost of her longing to Kim, if anything, it made it feel worse. Which was why she found it so hard to accept Sylia's affections, why she fought it off for so long. She couldn't help feeling she was betraying her feelings, to take the easier option just because it was offered to her. If she was to return Sylia's affections, she wanted to do so because she wanted to, not because her first choice rejected her.

But how long could she wait? Was it maybe worth the pain to walk away now while there still was a gulf between them? Return to Sylia and console herself in carnal pleasure thinking about the one who got away?

"Kim!" Shego's voice shouted before her mind had a chance to object.

Her Princess turned from the window, her hair flowing around her head from the rapid motion, and her green eyes looked across the room and locked onto Shego's. Her mouth hung open for a long, incalculable second, and then pulled tight across her cheeks into a relieved smile.

The pain, so close to the surface of Shego's heart, plunged deep again and was buried in the joy that smile bloomed in her. With grace that only Kim had, she leapt over the back of the chair she was in and took fluid leaps across the room until she was but a few steps away and the smile faded.

Like time catching up to her, Kim slowed rapidly and came to a stop an arms length from Shego. She looked up at the taller woman, and they stared at one another. One... two... three minutes passed and each wondered if eternity would arrive before either got up the nerve to speak.

But the girl who could do anything broke the stalemate.

"I'm sorry," Kim said. "I was being rude to you and I didn't want to admit it to you... or myself."

Shego searched Kim's expression for signs to help her talk. "Why?" she finally asked.

"Because you were right," said Kim. "You were my enemy in my world, and I never stopped thinking of you like that. It was wrong, but I... I didn't mean to. It wasn't intentional."

Shego swallowed. "I'm sorry for reading your journals without asking," she said. "I couldn't let go of what Dr. Possible said about you, and I thought your journals would tell me the truth. But it just made things more confusing."

With a shake of her head, Shego placed her hands on Kim's shoulder. "But I don't care about that anymore, I really haven't for a while. You're you, and that's all that matters to me."

Kim placed her hand on top of one of Shego's. "I missed you so much," she said. "It was childish to run away, I haven't been so stupid in years."

Shego started to smile but she could feel a tear on her cheek. "I missed you too. P-Please don't go away again."

Kim felt her voice catch in her throat and instead of saying anything more she just pushed forward and wrapped her arms around Shego, hugging her tightly. A moment later she felt Shego's strong arms wrap around her and hold her close.

They stood that way, slowly rocking, and comforting each other, for several minutes before awkwardly stepping apart. They had not said everything that needed to be said, both realized. Their situation had not honestly improved much from before the fight.

But as Kim's fingers wrapped tightly around Shego's, they both decided didn't care. They had each other, everything else could be tackled in due time.

They headed up towards ticketing to pick up their seats to San Francisco, then went through security and found a restaurant to sit in and spend the morning talking about nothing at all.

*** KP – KP – KP ***

"Shego?"

"She left," said Linna as she packed away all of Sylia documents into her briefcase.

Sylia looked around and descended the rest of the way down the stairs. "Where'd she go?"

"She wanted to go to the airport early," said Linna. "She took a cab from the lobby."

"The airport," said Sylia frowning. She looked at Linna, who was doing a good job not looking at all in Sylia's direction.

"That's right."

"She suddenly wanted to go to the airport," said Sylia.

"Right again."

"After I left her down here with you," she said very slowly. "She suddenly had to go to the airport."

"Still true," said Linna. She finished packing Sylia's bags and placed them by the elevators.

"Was there a reason she suddenly wanted to go to the airport?" Sylia was sounding angry.

"Must have been, seeing as she left in such a rush," said Linna.

"_Linna_..."

"You know, Syl, its one thing to play these games with me," said Linna, finally looking Sylia straight in the eye. "I've known you all my life. But this woman, she doesn't know you, and despite her appearances, she's not Priss. I'm sorry that didn't work out for you but substituting Ms. Hedge is just poor form."

"What makes _you_ –"

"I'd have put a stop to this a while ago if I didn't think, for some god awful reason, that she actually WAS interested in you. But she is, and, well, I'm not one to tell her who she should like." Linna folded her arms. "But in my not so impartial opinion, I'll say to you, my old friend, this: Do you really want it this way? To grind her down till she goes insane? Or maybe you should give her the opportunity to _choose_ you."

Sylia gave her a sour look and then, after a long few moments, pouted. "Do you really think she'd actually choose me? Over her waif of a friend?"

"I have no idea," said Linna. She turned around to check the straps on the luggage again. "It's really none of my business." She then headed for the stairs and went up to pack away Shego's unused clothes.

Sylia watched her best friend walk away and then smiled. "Thanks, Lin," she softly said.

*** End Part Six


	7. Born To Run

**7. Born To Run**

_Day 473_

_I woke up this morning next to Shego._

_Now, nothing happened the night before, I can remember it clearly. We both woke up with our clothes on for one thing, and we were also awkwardly splayed out on the couch of our apartment._

_Our apartment. What a weird idea think about. I'm sharing an apartment with Shego. A different Shego than the one I once knew, but one no less proud or talented. A Shego who loves me, as much as I find it hard to accept fully. A Shego I might just love back._

_Platonically at least, right now. I'm not sure about the other part, even after all we went through._

_I wish there was a switch in my brain I could at least see, to tell if I should even be trying. Is it wrong to wish you were gay? Is that something you could learn or condition and if you could, should you?_

_I know that I have found my soul mate, in a strange world that is so different than my own I can barely believe it. But is she supposed to be my friend or lover? Shego definitely believes the latter, but I'm not terribly sure._

_We don't talk about it much, which is bad, I know. We've already seen what happens if we keep quiet too long, we're just not good at silently keeping secrets._

_Sylia is back at Elkhart Lake, and frankly, I'm glad. I'm still struggling to figure out how I feel about Shego, I don't need the shameless stalker from richville getting in the way. It's obvious she's way into Shego, and there are times when I think Shego might be into her too. That makes me feel... uneasy, but I don't know why. Does it mean I'm jealous? Or does it mean I think Sylia is not right for Shego and I'm trying to protect my friend who acts like a fly trapped in a spider's web._

_Maybe a bit of both?_

_I should talk to Shego about these things, I know I should. But I'm no less afraid now than I was a week ago. How does one talk about their feelings of helplessness without surrendering their will to the person they're talking to? If I make a decision - if I truly decide what I want from Shego, I don't want it to be because someone's told me what I should want. I want to decide what to want myself._

_So I have to make her wait._

_Surely, someday, she'll understand._

_Just probably not today._

*** KP – KP – KP ***

Shego awoke to the sound of running water and she perked her head up over the edge of the couch to look around. Their apartment was very spartan. It was a pre-furnished, two bedroom space that was intended for extended stay commuters or consultants. Neither Shego nor Kim traveled with much typically, so the sparse decorations actually appealed to them. But they were still trying to get their bearings in the unfamiliar surroundings.

Kim was in the kitchen, Shego realized, making eggs and brewing coffee. The smell was delicious, and Shego let her nose lead the way to the breakfast table where Kim provided her a hot cup of Joe.

"I hope you don't mind," said Kim. "There were some eggs in the fridge; I think it's sort of a welcome package. There's little else, though."

"Please," nodded Shego with a smile. "This is such a treat, seeing you cook."

"It's not like we can do it in the back of your rig," said Kim. "I know a few recipes, but I'm warning you now, they're all breakfast foods."

"I'd better learn how to cook for the other meals, then," said Shego. "Pancakes are good, but not three times a day."

The both laughed as Kim served up some eggs and toast for them to eat. For a while just the sounds of happy eaters filled up the quiet apartment. Neither had eaten much the previous day, and the six eggs in the fridge were gone faster than Shego's coffee.

Shego decided to wash up after the breakfast and swapped seats with Kim who was looking idly through the black folder sitting on the table.

"So what do we do now?" asked Kim as Shego was drying dishes.

"I have to work," said Shego. "Apparently I need to meet the other riders that were drafted into Sylia's crusade. You should relax, hang out, get comfortable," said Shego. "Let me know where the grocery stores are so we can get some food for dinner."

Kim looked into her cup. "I don't want to mooch off of you." She looked up. "It's neither pleasant nor in my nature. I need to do something."

Shego shrugged and began putting away silverware. "I can see if there is something to do at the Foundation? Since I'm salaried, I don't really need a manager."

Kim bobbed her head slightly. "I don't really want to work for Sylia. Maybe I'll see if there are any job postings in the area. Probably won't be much for someone with no social security number, no ID, and no job history, but maybe I can work at a Bueno Nacho."

"A what?" asked Shego.

"Right, right, they don't exist here. Maybe a... Sonics? I like to rollerskate."

Shego considered this and then refilled her cup of coffee. "I'll still ask around," she decided. "Sylia is not the only person who works at the Foundation, there may be other people you can help." She shrugged. "Something to consider."

"Okay," nodded Kim quietly.

The two shared another minute of silence save for the slurping of coffee.

"This isn't going to be easy," said Shego. "Neither of us are comfortable with this life. I can already feel the urge to jump in a car and drive off."

"Is this still something you want to do?" asked Kim.

Shego nodded. "The chance to ride is important, but I also sort of like the idea of being on the planning committee for a huge competition. I really want to see how this works out."

"As long as you're having fun," said Kim.

Shego came around the table and took Kim's hands into her own. The redhead looked startled by the sudden display and became flushed. "Are you okay with this? I mean, you wanted me to pursue racing more, and while this isn't exactly where I expected to end up, it's not a terrible situation to be in from my perspective. But, if this is uncomfortable for you—"

"It can't just be about me," interrupted Kim.

"Well it's not all about me," replied Shego.

Neither knew what to say for a few minutes.

"What about Sylia?" Kim finally asked.

"She won't be back for weeks," said Shego.

"And when she _is_ back?"

Shego refused to look away. "I don't know. I thought maybe that answer would become apparent once _we_ were back together but…"

Kim slowly nodded.

"What a right old mess we are," said Kim.

"Tell me about it."

Kim reached up and cupped Shego's face in her hands. Slowly, timidly, she leaned forward and kissed Shego on the cheek.

"I won't give up again," she said. "I won't run away. We'll figure this out together."

Shego stared for a second, then slowly started to grin.

"You'd better not," said Shego. "Because if I have to chase you down again, I'm putting a leash on you."

"Good luck trying," said Kim with a haughty look. "If I really wanted to be gone, you'd never find me."

"So you're saying I should just put the leash on now?"

"You don't want to go into your first day at work with bruises, do you? Because that's where this conversation is going."

Shego laughed. "Oh, so you'd abuse your friends. Interesting to know what passes for a hero in your world."

"Villains don't count, you can do anything to them," said Kim. "It's karmic balance."

"Karmic—you are joking me."

"Gonna try me to find out?"

Shego cracked her knuckles and pulled up her sleeves.

Kim grinned. "I'm guessing that's a yes." She jumped out of her chair and landed defensively. "Catch me if you can!" She turned on her heel and dashed into the hall.

Shego scampered after her and the two ran circles around their new apartment, laughing as they danced, all thoughts of awkwardness forgotten until another day.

*** KP – KP – KP ***

"_Together Wendy we'll live with the sadness  
I'll love you with all the madness in my soul  
Someday girl I don't know when  
we're gonna get to that place  
Where we really want to go  
and we'll walk in the sun  
But till then tramps like us  
baby we were __**born to run**__"_

- "Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen

*** Fin.

A/N: Once again, I've changed the status quo here, but probably not in the way you wanted. Sorry about that, but sometimes people (or characters) don't go where you want them to. Sometimes they go cohabitate in San Francisco "platonically."

Alright, so I'm dancing a bit around a few issues here. The truth of the matter is that people change when they absolutely must, and not a moment before. There were moments here, points where Kim and Shego had the opportunity to make better choices but they're not ready yet. If you still think escape is an option, then you're not ready to commit. Kim had to get over that urge before she could treat her situation seriously. Similarly, Shego is inclined to let fate take her wherever, without doing much to control it. She started to show signs of growth at the end of Hitchhiker 1 but regressed a bit at the start of this story because there were several months of nothing controversial happening. At the end of this story, however, she's faced that choice again and exerted more control. Time will tell if this is a permanent change.

I'm interested in what people think about Kim and Shego. Do you think they're both being stupid? Do you think they need to just get over themselves and screw like wild rabbits? Or do you sympathize with two people in an impossible situation? There is no right answer; obviously you don't have to agree with me to enjoy the story. :)

Let's look towards the future: The Hitchhiker 3: The Longest Journey begins October 1st! We got a glimpse of Shego's mind in Hitchhiker 2, now we're going to dive into her history. How DID Shego get to where she is today? Why is she so bitter towards her parents? What was that breakdown about during Shego's first dinner with Sylia in chapter 3?

Some of these questions might even get answered!

I can also say that there is a HitchhIker 4 in the works, though I'm struggling to get it moving at the rate I wrote Hitchhiker 1 and 2. Hopefully I'll be able to plot it out and get the 1st draft done by the end of October so I can line it up to start on November 1st. After that, I think I'm going to take a break from this universe for a short while. I have other ideas now that I want to work on, but I don't want to leave this Kim and Shego hanging. Hitchhiker 4 will conclude the Stingray Foundation story and that seems like a good place to stop.

And now, a **preview** to whet your appetite until Saturday:

*** KP – KP – KP ***

Kim slowly dabbed at the bruise on Shego's forehead with a cotton swab, causing the latter to wince while they sat on the couch in their apartment.

"Easy," said Kim quietly.

"It stings," said Shego with a scowl.

"Yes, obviously," Kim made a small smile. "Let me finish."

"Fine," sighed Shego and held as still as she could while Kim replaced the bandages. "You seem pretty at home with this."

"You get pretty good at this sort of stuff when you're out saving the world," said Kim. "Not always a nursing station to run to in the middle of Mongolia." She paused and looked contemplative. "Or a roommate."

Shego blew a short raspberry at Kim. The latter laughed in response.

"What a lousy day," said Shego.

"Not having fun with your new co-workers I see."

"That Priss girl has her head so far up her own ass she can see her lunch," said Shego.

Kim cringed. "That's... disgusting."

"Also true," Shego said stiffly.

"Metaphorically," added Kim, hopefully.

"Whatever." Shego rolled her eyes.

"She made fun of your baby girl, didn't she?" said Kim.

"Feh! The punk," said Shego and it was all scowls again.

"Does she at least look as bad as you?" asked Kim.

The corner of Shego's mouth turned slightly upwards.

"Figures," Kim tried to sound admonishing but she had trouble with the grin on her face.

"I'll make her feel worse tomorrow," said Shego.

Kim frowned. "How?"

"We're gonna race," said Shego with a smirk.

"Is that a... good idea? I thought you said she had a huge bike."

"Power isn't everything," said Shego.

"It's a lot, though," said Kim. She finished with Shego's bandage and started packing away the first aid supplies. She had initially questioned all the materials when she saw them on the shopping list earlier in the week, but now she knew better.

"My baby girl has got power; she'll show that punk," said Shego.

"You're both kind of punk-ish, though, right?"

"We're not alike at all," said Shego curtly and left to go make dinner.

"Suuuure you aren't," said Kim, smiling.

*** KP – KP – KP ***

Kim Possible, Shego, Dr. Possible, Wade Load and his mother, and the town of Middleton are all from Disney's Kim Possible. Sylia Stingray, Linna Yamazaki, Nene Romanova, Priss Asagiri, Katsuhito Stingray, and Dr. Raven are from ARTMIC/Youmex's Bubblegum Crisis. Jack Fenton is from Nickelodeon's Danny Phantom. All characters and situations are presented in a modified format inspired by their original published appearances.

Born To Run was written and performed by Bruce Springsteen. Track titles and lyrics excerpts are presented without modification.

All locations mentioned by name (except Middleton) are real but descriptions may be inaccurate. Additional information was obtained from Wikipedia, the AMA Pro Racing website, and the Elkhart Lake Village and Chamber website.

I know almost nothing about league motorcycle racing, and made almost everything up. Forgive me. :)

The idea of making all of your stories have even word counts came from fellow author _King In Yellow_, and he's a criminally evil person. Now that I've started, I'm finding it difficult to stop!

If you enjoyed this story please check out my other Kim Possible and Bubblegum Crisis works at Fanfiction dot net under the username TempestDash. My opinions about television, movies, video games, and life in general are also available on my blog at rogue-penguin dot com. Also check out my weekly podcast at TheTITANShow dot com where I talk about nothing with my co-host, Matt, and sometimes a guest or two.


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